zombie

noun

zom·​bie ˈzäm-bē 

variants or less commonly zombi

1

a

: a will-less and speechless human (as in voodoo belief and in fictional stories) held to have died and been supernaturally reanimated

b

: the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body

2

a

: a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead

especially : automaton

b

: a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior

3

: a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice

zombielike adjective

or zombie-like

ˈzäm-bē-ˌlīk 

… a morning rush of zombielike office workers, all starved for caffeine and clamoring for cappuccino.

—Bob Filipczak

zomboid

ˈzäm-ˌbȯid 

adjective

This is a poetry eerily populated with ghosts and mummies and zomboid creatures who go on living though dead from love.

—Patrick McGarth

Examples of zombie in a Sentence

If I don't go to bed early I'll be a zombie tomorrow.

His students usually sat there in the classroom like zombies.

Recent Examples on the Web

In traditional Looney Tunes fashion, the story takes comedic twists and turns, from trying to raise money to repair a roof to battling gum zombies, though the longer form storytelling presented the opportunity for character growth in a world where characters never really change from story to story. —Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024

Now, after decades of working in the world of stunts on movies like Green Lantern, Drive and Punisher: War Zone, Jeff Wolfe has fulfilled a longtime dream of directing his own movie, with the zombie drama Outbreak arriving in a handful of theaters Friday. —Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024

The clip showed Shang-Chi, Katy, and Wenwu fighting off a heaving zombie horde. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

Here's how to see the zombies Most exciting metro Phoenix restaurants that opened in 2024 Billie Eilish Phoenix concert: Complete guide to Desert Diamond Arena Reach the reporter at [e-mail]. —Reia Li, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu nzúmbe ghost

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

zombie

noun

zom·​bie

variants also zombi

ˈzäm-bē 

: a person who is believed to have died and been brought back to life without speech or free will

Etymology

Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin