death toll

noun

: the number of people who die in an accident, disaster, war, etc.
Three people who were injured in the accident have died, pushing the death toll up to 116.
The virus's death toll is expected to rise.

Examples of death toll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The death toll from heavy rains in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to 13, local authorities said on Thursday, May 2, 2024, as the state government declared a state of public calamity to handle the dramatic situation. Fox News, 3 May 2024 While rats did play a role in spreading the plague, scientists have argued that the poor sanitation and environmental conditions of the era had a much larger hand in the resulting death toll. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024 Wrapped in the white burial shroud synonymous with Gaza’s colossal civilian death toll, Sabreen was placed into the dusty ground, the tiny hole matching her brief window in the world. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2024 The actual death toll could be much higher, however, as the country remains nearly impossible for observers to enter. Kate Bartlett, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024 The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the death toll in Gaza Strip has reached 33,634 since Oct. 7, when an attack by Hamas sparked an Israeli siege that devastated the enclave with airstrikes and a ground invasion. USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024 Public scrutiny over military aid to Israel has mounted in the wake of its war in Gaza following Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack and amid concerns over the rising civilian death toll. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024 Even the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has involved billions in U.S. aid, significant attention from U.S. leaders and an enormous death toll of its own, is not appearing in polling as a top issue in the 2024 election. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024 While dwarfed by the Palestinian death toll, the losses are nevertheless significant. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'death toll.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near death toll

Cite this Entry

“Death toll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20toll. Accessed 8 May. 2024.

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!