dead
used as an adjective
Dead is usually an adjective. Someone who is dead is no longer living. You can use dead to talk about someone who has just died, or about someone who died a long time ago.
They covered the body of the dead woman.
He was shot dead in a gunfight.
You can also say that animals or plants are dead.
A dead sheep was lying on the road.
Ada threw away the dead flowers.
Be careful
Don't confuse dead with died. Died is the past tense and -ed participle of the verb die. Don't use died as an adjective.
Don't confuse dead with died. Died is the past tense and -ed participle of the verb die. Don't use died as an adjective.
My dad died last year.
used as a noun
You can refer to a group of people who have died as the dead.
Among the dead was a five-year-old girl.