loss of life

phrase

: death
… street robberies, often accompanied by cruel wounds, and not unfrequently by loss of life …—Charles Dickens
: incidences of people dying
In 1900 a hurricane struck Galveston, Texas, destroying the city and killing over 6,000 persons—the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster ever recorded in the United States.—David H. Hickcox

Examples of loss of life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After each storm season, a committee for the North Atlantic basin reviews the names and decides if any should be retired due to severity and major loss of life and property; around 100 names have been retired from the Atlantic list to date. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2026 Deadly fires, often linked to electrical faults or gas cylinder explosions, are common in India where investigators have frequently pointed to safety lapses and inadequate enforcement of fire regulations as contributing to recurring loss of life. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 Valle del Cauca and Risaralda have suffered the greatest loss of life. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026 Major hurricanes can cause wind damage ranging from devastating to catastrophic and significant loss of life from their winds alone. — Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loss of life

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loss of life was in the 15th century

Rhymes for loss of life

See All Rhymes for loss of life

Browse Nearby Words

lossless
loss of life
loss ratio
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loss of life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loss%20of%20life. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All