half-dead

half-dead — adjective

1. extremely tired, especially after doing physical work, exercising, or traveling

1.形容詞B1
釋義

extremely tired, especially after doing physical work, exercising, or traveling without enough rest — for example, feeling this way after hiking up a mountain all day or after a long flight without sleep.

例句

Antonia was half-dead after the ten-hour flight from Taipei to London.

collocation: half-dead after [activity]

Asher collapsed on the sofa, half-dead from a day of moving furniture.

collocation: half-dead from [cause]

同義詞
  • exhausted

    more neutral register; works in both formal and informal contexts

  • worn out

    informal, similar intensity, but suggests long-term use rather than a single event

  • dead tired

    equally informal, very common in American English

反義詞

文法句型

be half-dead

feel half-dead

look half-dead

用法筆記

Only used predicatively (after 'be', 'feel', or 'look'), never before a noun. You cannot say 'a half-dead worker' in this sense — use 'exhausted' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I saw a half-dead man on the street.' (literal reading)
✅The man on the street looked half-dead.
💡'half-dead' in this sense is predicative only and informal; for a literal 'nearly dead' meaning use 'dying' or 'barely alive.'

2. completely exhausted or drained of energy to the point where you can barely func

2.形容詞B2
釋義

completely exhausted or drained of energy to the point where you can barely function — used when the cause is overwhelming, such as severe illness, extreme stress, or relentless overwork.

例句

The flu left Layla half-dead for an entire week.

construction: leave [person] half-dead

After working double shifts, the night-shift nurses were half-dead by Friday morning.

同義詞
  • completely exhausted

    more formal and descriptive than 'half-dead'

  • drained

    suggests energy has been entirely removed; works in medical and everyday contexts

  • wiped out

    very informal American English; same intensity

反義詞

文法句型

be half-dead with [cause]

leave someone half-dead

用法筆記

Stronger than sense 1. This sense implies you have reached a limit — you cannot continue. Common with 'with' (half-dead with worry, cold, heat) and 'leave' (the illness left me half-dead).

常見錯誤

❌The half-dead patient was rushed to hospital.' (attributive use)
✅The patient was half-dead from blood loss.
💡'half-dead' is not used before a noun; use 'barely alive' or 'near death' for the literal meaning.