1.dead的基本意思是“死的”,表示人生命终止或动植物枯萎、枯死。引申可表示“死寂的”“麻木的”“极度疲倦的,累极的”“阴沉的”等,所指的对象可以是人、动物、植物,也可以是抽象的事物。在一些短语里dead还可指“完全的,全然的”。
2.dead在句中可用作定语、表语或宾语补足语。
3.dead与定冠词the连用可用作名词,表示“死者”。
4.dead在逻辑上已表示极限,故不能再用比较级和最高级。

as dead as a dodo
绝种的; 完全过时的 extinct; obsolete
Fashion experts say that long shirts are as dead as a dodo this year.时尚专家说,今年长裙子不时兴了。
A s a mode of transport the sedan chair is as dead as a dodo.作为一种交通工具,轿子已完全过时了。

as dead as a doornail
〈口〉确信无疑地死了 dead
He drove into a tree at over a hundred miles an hour and was as dead as a doornail.他以每小时100英里的速度驾车,结果撞在一棵树上,一命呜呼。
The man lay there.He was as dead as a doornail.那个人倒在那儿,他已死了。

at a dead end
无法进展下去 not going on
After days of arguing, the peace talks are now at a dead end.在几天的辩论之后和平谈判无法进行下去。
His research was at a dead end.他的研究无法进行下去。
Even though your research appears to be at a dead end now, you shouldn't lose heart but keep on trying.即使你们的研究现在似乎没有什么进展,你们还是不应该泄气,而要继续进行下去。

dead above ears
没有头脑 without thoughts
Jack is dead above ears and often gets into trouble.杰克没有头脑,常常惹出乱子。

dead and buried
完全忘却 forgotten
Linda and Tina were again on speaking terms, their disagreement was dead and buried.琳达和蒂娜关系又和好了,他们的分歧早已烟消云散了。

dead and gone
已死去 been dead
The old man was very lonely because so many of his friends were now dead and gone.那个老人很孤独,因为他的许多朋友现在都已不在人世。

dead and gone
确信无疑 absolute certainty
It's a dead certainty that the Tories will be re-elected.托利党将进行重新选举,是确信无疑的事。
That horse is a dead certainty.那匹马必赢无疑。

dead from the neck up
〈美俚〉愚蠢的 foolish
My new girlfriend may have a nice figure but unfortunately she's dead from the neck up.我的新女朋友也许有很好的体形,但遗憾的是她很笨。

dead loss
垃圾 useless
That new film is a dead loss; it's a waste of money going to see it.那部新电影全是垃圾,去看也是浪费钱财。

dead man's shoes
待某人死后或退休后继承职位 job opportunity provided by sb's death or retirement
The junior executive was impatient for promotion but knew that he would only get it by stepping into a dead man's shoes.这位下级行政管员急不可待地想晋升,但他知道只有待某人退休后接替其职位,才能获得晋升。

dead on one's feet
累得不能再做 too tired to do more
Jimmy never leaves a job unfinished.He continues to work even when he's dead on his feet.吉米每做一件事一定要做完,即使他已累得不得了,他还继续做。

dead ringer
看上去一模一样的人 a person who looks exactly the same
That man on the other side of the road is a dead ringer for Ronald Reagan.在路那边的那个人酷似罗纳德·里根。

dead to all feeling
麻木不仁 so callous as to be past feeling
I once heard of a youth who was so dead to all right feeling that he would not pay for medicine.我有一次听到一个年轻人非常麻木不仁,甚至不给他生病的父亲付医药费。
That girl is dead to your feeling.那女孩对你的钟情无动于衷。

dead to rights
无法逃避的谴责 without a chance of escaping blame
Mother had Bob dead to rights, because she caught him with his hand in the biscuits.鲍勃无法逃避责备,因为他正伸手拿饼干的时候被母亲抓住了。

dead to the world
沉睡的; 不省人事的 fast sleep; unconscious
Exhausted by their exploits that day the two boys had supper and fell asleep, dead to the world.那天这两个男孩的英勇行为使他们疲劳不堪,他们吃完晚饭倒头就睡,而且睡得很沉。
He is dead to the world.他对世事不闻不问。

dead wood
无用人员 useless person
The management decided to economize by cutting the dead wood from the workforce, thus reducing the wages bill.资方决定节省开支,裁减劳动力中的冗员,这样可以减少工资支出。

make a dead set at
蓄意攻击; 力图谋得宠爱 purposefully attack〔approach〕
Norman made a dead set at me as soon as I entered the room and gave me some very interesting news.我一走进房间,诺曼就告诉我一些非常有趣的消息,力图赢得我的欢心。

over one's dead body
不顾某人的坚决反对 only if one's most vigorous opposition fails
What do you mean your mother is coming to stay for a week?
Over my dead body she is!你怎么敢说你母亲要来小住一周?除非我死,否则她休想来!
Over my dead body.That's one sport I'm definite he's not going in for.说什么我也不同意,这是我坚决反对他参加的唯一的一项体育运动。

rise from the dead
死后复生 come back to life after death
Jones had disappeared at sea a week before, now here he was, as if risen from the dead.琼斯一个星期前在海上失踪,现在他又出现在这里,真是死后复生。

用作定语
▲～+n.
Mary threw away the dead flowers.玛丽把枯萎的花扔掉了。
You can pass a rope around this dead tree.你可以把绳子绕在那颗枯树上。
There was a dead silence in the house.房子里一片死寂。
用作表语
▲S+be+～
 He was almost dead.他几乎死了。
The chief editor has just been dead.Who will succeed him?主编刚去世,谁将继任他?
She has been dead for three hours.她已死了三小时。
He has been now dead for many years.他已死去多年。
It is on record that a person has been restored to life several hours after he was thought to be dead.据记载,有一个人在被认为死去后几小时被救活了。
This mountain town used to be dead after １０ p.m.这座山城过去晚上十点钟以后就变得万籁俱寂。
It's so cold outside that my fingers feel dead.外面很冷,我的手指都冻僵了。
After all that work,I'm really dead.做了这许多工作,我真是累极了。
▲S+be+～+prep.-phrase
 My mother was dead from shopping.我母亲上街买东西累得要死。
He is dead in love with her.他爱她爱得要命。
His son is dead on radio.他儿子喜欢搞无线电。
He is dead of a disease.他病死了。
He was dead with hunger.他饿死了。
He is dead with sleep.他睡得很熟。
▲S+V+O+～
The baby was born dead.婴儿生下时就已死了。
He was struck dead by electricity.他触电而死。
He was shot dead in a gunfight.他在一次枪战中中弹身亡。
用作宾语补足语
▲S+V+O+～
 They found him dead.他们发现他死了。
The rascal struck him dead.流氓把他打死了。
A bullet struck him dead.一颗子弹把他击毙了。
They supposed him dead.他们以为他死了。
其他
▲as n.
 They are going to erect a monument in memory of the dead.他们将立碑纪念死者。
We must finish the work of the dead.我们必须完成死者未竟的事业。
The villagers were weeping over the dead.村民们哀悼死者。
To judge from the present information, the dead was still alive at three o'clock.从目前得到的情况来看,死者3点钟时还活着。

dead, deadly
这两个词都可用作形容词。但意思不同:dead意指“死了”“枯萎的”“死寂的”“麻木的”; 而deadly作“致命的”“极其危险的”“死气沉沉的”“势不两立的”解。例如:
Dead men tell no tales.
死人不会告密。
Cancer is a deadly disease.
癌症是一种致命的疾病。
下面两个短语意思不同:
a dead house
太平房
a death house
死囚牢

他在两年前死了。
［误］  He was dead two years ago.
［正］  He died two years ago.
［正］  He has been dead for two years.
［析］  dead作形容词表示状态,不能和表示某一过去时间的状语连用,而died是动词,表示瞬间动作,可以和表示某一过去时间的状语连用。

1.dead用作副词意思是“突然地,完全地”,也可作“极度地,绝对”“直接地,正对着”解。
2.dead在句中主要用作状语,可修饰动词、形容词、介词短语或其他副词。

catch dead
看见或听见令人难堪的举止 see or hear in an embarrassing act or place at any time
You won't catch him dead doing any house work.你不会遇见他做家务的情况。

cut dead
假装看不见 pretend not to see
▲cut sb dead
I've just been cut dead in the street by an old friend.刚才在街上有个老朋友看见我却假装没看见。

dead beat
〈口〉筋疲力尽的 exhausted
The long-distance runner was dead beat as he crossed the finishing line.长跑运动员在冲过终点线时已筋疲力尽。
I can't go any farther.I'm dead beat.我再也走不动了,疲倦极了。

go dead
不工作 cease working
The telephone has gone dead.电话不通了。
I was talking to my brother on the telephone when suddenly the line went dead.我与弟弟通电话时,突然断线了。

refuse to〔wouldn't〕 be seen dead
〈口〉厌恶,宁死也不要 be too shamed; be embarrassed to do sth
I refuse to be seen dead with my brother after what he has done.我弟弟干了那件事后,我真厌恶与他在一起。
What an old-fashioned coat!I wouldn't be seen dead wearing that.这外衣太老式了!我宁死也不穿。

stop dead
突然停止不动 stop suddenly
He stopped dead.他突然停了下来。
When I saw Dan on the street,I was so surprised and stopped dead.我在街上看到丹时,惊奇得站在那里不动了。
The pickpocket stopped dead when he saw the policeman.那小偷看到警察时突然停了下来。
The horse stopped dead and threw its rider over the gate.那匹马突然停了下来,把骑手摔出了大门。
For some reason, at ten o'clock my watch stopped dead.不知什么原因,我的表10点钟时突然停了。

用作状语
 You're not coming with us, so drop dead!你不和我们一起来,去你的!
 He was dead tired.他疲倦极了。
He was dead asleep.他完全睡着了。
I'm dead sure.我绝对肯定。
You are dead right.你完全正确。
I was dead drunk yesterday evening.昨晚我烂醉如泥。
I don't know how Ann stands for her husband's behaviour; he comes home dead drunk nearly every night.我不知道安是怎么忍受她丈夫的行为的,他几乎每天晚上回家时都烂醉如泥。
I'm dead keen on Chinese paintings.我非常喜欢中国画。
The stranger was dead ahead.那陌生人就在前面。
Close the door, please.The wind is blowing dead against me.请关上门,风正对着我吹。
The man is dead against me for some reason or the other.那人以各种理由死命反对我。
Someone is dead against your plan.有人拼命反对你的计划。
His shot was dead on target.他射得正中目标。
God heavens, it's dead on eight.I'm only just in time.天哪,正好8点,我总算及时赶到了。
The deputation to see the Prime Minister arrived dead on time and was received at once.要求会见首相的代表团准时抵达并立即受到接见。

dead, deadly
这两个词用作副词时意思不同:dead表示“突然地”“完全地”“正对着”; 而deadly表示“如死人地”“死一般地”“极度”“非常”。例如:
You are dead right.
你完全正确。
He looks deadly serious.
他看上去极其严肃。

［同义词］ adj. barren, boring, cold, extinct, flat, indifferent, obsolete, perished, still, tired, wooden, worn out
［反义词］ adj. active, alive
［词源］ ＜中古英语ded＜古英语dead(死)