adjective

1. no longer living; having died
2. naturally without life; inanimate dead stones
3. such as to suggest death; deathlike a dead faint
4. lacking positive qualities, as of warmth, vitality, interest, brightness, brilliance, etc. a dead handshake, a dead party, a dead white
5. wholly indifferent; insensible dead to love
6. without feeling, motion, or power his arm hung dead at his side
7. 1. not burning; extinguished dead coals
   2. extinct a dead volcano
8. characterized by little or no movement or activity; slack, stagnant, etc. dead water
9. designating an axle that supports but does not drive a wheel
10. having lost resilience or elasticity a dead tennis ball
11. no longer used or significant; obsolete dead languages, dead laws
12. 1. not fertile; barren dead soil
    2. not yielding a return; unproductive dead capital
13. certain as death; unerring; sure a dead shot
14. exact; precise dead center
15. complete; total; absolute a dead stop
16. unvarying; undeviating dead level
17. Informal very tired; exhausted
18. Elec.
    1. having no current passing through a dead wire
    2. having lost its charge a dead battery
19. Printing set, but no longer needed for use dead type
20. Sports
    1. no longer in play a dead ball
    2. barred by a game's rules from making a particular play

Etymology: ME ded < OE dēad, akin to ON dauthr, OHG tōt, Goth dauths: orig. pp. of an old v. base appearing in ON deyja, OS dojan, OHG touwen, all < IE base *dheu-, die

noun

adverb

1. completely; absolutely dead right
2. directly dead ahead