Phrase guide

death ray

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A beam of radiation that can kill.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing, science-fiction

Examples

  • The evil aliens' death rays could not penetrate our mighty force fields!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ray, beam

2

noun

Meaning 2

A weapon that emits such a ray: a ray gun.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing, science-fiction

Examples

  • Near-synonym: heat-ray
  • The evil alien pointed a death ray at me and ordered me to start marching toward the distant fortress!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heat-ray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: weapon

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 死光 (sǐguāng) — ray beam
  • Finnish: kuolemansäde — ray beam