Definition

Verb (informal, idiomatic): To die; to pass away. This is a colloquial and often humorous or irreverent euphemism for death.

Usage

This phrasal verb is used informally to talk about someone's death in a blunt, sometimes darkly humorous way. It is not appropriate for formal contexts or when expressing sympathy.

Examples

• He snuffed it after a long illness.
• I heard the old car finally snuffed it on the highway.
• In the movie, the villain snuffs it in a dramatic explosion.

Advanced Usage

• Often used to convey a sense of something ceasing to function permanently, not just for living beings.
  • My phone's battery has finally snuffed it.
• Can imply a sudden or undignified end.

Variants and Related Words

• Snuff (verb): To extinguish (a candle). The idiom "snuff it" derives from this image of a life being extinguished like a candle flame.
• Snuff film (noun): A genre of film depicting actual murder. This is a separate, highly specific, and disturbing term not directly related to the casual idiom "snuff it."

Synonyms (Informal Euphemisms for "die")

• Kick the bucket
• Pop one's clogs
• Bite the dust
• Buy the farm
• Pass away (more respectful)

Phrasal Verbs

• Snuff out: A more common phrasal verb meaning to extinguish something (a light, a flame) or, figuratively, to end something abruptly (e.g., a life, a rebellion, hope).
  • The storm snuffed out the campfire.
  • The regime brutally snuffed out the protest.

Related Idioms

• To be snuffed out: To have one's life ended suddenly or prematurely.
  • His promising career was snuffed out by the accident.

Verb

1. pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
   • She died from cancer
   • The children perished in the fire
   • The patient went peacefully
   • The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102