Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of intentionally causing one's own death: "Suicide" refers to the act of ending one's own life deliberately.
   • A person who intentionally kills themself: "Suicide" can also refer to a person who has died by or committed this act.

Usage

• As a noun, "suicide" is used to describe the act itself or, less commonly in modern usage, the person who has died.
• It is often used in formal, medical, legal, and journalistic contexts.
• Common collocations include "to commit suicide," "suicide rate," and "suicide prevention."

Examples

• Noun (Act):

  • The tragedy of his suicide shocked the community.
  • She was struggling with thoughts of suicide.
  • The report analyzed the factors leading to suicide.

• Noun (Person - now often considered insensitive):

  • The old records listed the deceased as a suicide. (Note: Modern, more sensitive language prefers phrases like "a person who died by suicide.")

Advanced Usage

• "Political suicide": A metaphorical use meaning an action that is certain to cause ruin to one's political career.

  • Voting against the popular bill would be political suicide.

• "Suicide mission": A task or assignment so dangerous that death is very likely.

  • The soldiers volunteered for the suicide mission.

• "Assisted suicide": The act of helping a person end their own life, typically to relieve suffering from an incurable illness.

Variants and Related Words

• Suicidal (adj): Having the tendency to commit suicide; or, extremely dangerous and likely to lead to disaster.
  • He was feeling suicidal and sought help.
  • Driving that fast is a suicidal act.

Synonyms

• Self-destruction: The act of destroying oneself.
• Self-murder: (Archaic) The killing of oneself.

Phrasal Verbs / Compound Verbs

• To commit suicide: (Common but increasingly replaced by more neutral phrases) To intentionally kill oneself.
  • It is crucial to offer support to those who may be considering committing suicide.

Related Idioms

• "To commit professional suicide": To do something that will certainly end one's career.
  • Leaking the confidential documents was professional suicide.

Noun

1. a person who kills himself intentionally
2. the act of killing yourself
   • it is a crime to commit suicide