noun
Common
zombie
ZOM-bee
Zombie (noun) means In folklore and fiction, a reanimated corpse controlled by magic or driven by a mindless urge to attack the living. Example: “The children dressed as a zombie for the Halloween party, with torn clothes and pale make-up.”
noun
1
In folklore and fiction, a reanimated corpse controlled by magic or driven by a mindless urge to attack the living.
"The children dressed as a zombie for the Halloween party, with torn clothes and pale make-up."
"In the film, the survivors barricade themselves in a mall to escape the zombies."
"The game lets you fight off waves of zombies with makeshift weapons."
2
A person who seems dazed, slow, or lifeless, especially from exhaustion.
"I stumbled round the kitchen like a zombie before my first coffee."
"The new parents were walking zombies after weeks without a full night's sleep."
"After the night shift I was basically a zombie until noon."
3
A computer secretly infected with malware and remotely controlled by an attacker, usually as part of a larger network.
"Security experts found that the office computer had become a zombie in a hidden network."
"Your laptop could be a zombie without you ever noticing."
"The infected zombie machines were used to flood the site with fake traffic."
How to use zombie
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA reanimated corpse in horror fiction, or, more loosely, someone completely worn out or a hacked computer under remote control.
Common pairings
zombie apocalypse
zombie movie
zombie computer
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Word forms
- Plural
- zombies
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The children dressed as a _____ for the Halloween party, with torn clothes and pale make-up.
Etymology
Traced through Haitian Creole zonbi and French zombi back to a Bantu language, related to Kongo nzambi ("god") and Kimbundu nzumbi ("ghost") — echoed in Caribbean folklore's "jumbie," a wandering spirit.
Related words
Rhymes for zombie
See all rhymes for zombie →Frequently asked questions
What does “zombie” mean?
The word “zombie” means in folklore and fiction, a reanimated corpse controlled by magic or driven by a mindless urge to attack the living. In plain terms, a reanimated corpse in horror fiction, or, more loosely, someone completely worn out or a hacked computer under remote control.
How do you pronounce “zombie”?
“Zombie” is pronounced ZOM-bee (/ˈzɑmbi/ in IPA).
How do you use “zombie” in a sentence?
Here is “zombie” used in a sentence: “In the film, the survivors barricade themselves in a mall to escape the zombies.”
What part of speech is “zombie”?
“Zombie” is a noun.
Where does the word “zombie” come from?
The word “zombie” comes from French. Traced through Haitian Creole zonbi and French zombi back to a Bantu language, related to Kongo nzambi ("god") and Kimbundu nzumbi ("ghost") — echoed in Caribbean folklore's "jumbie," a wandering spirit.
Is “zombie” a common word?
“Zombie” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “zombie” have?
“Zombie” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: in folklore and fiction, a reanimated corpse controlled by magic or driven by a mindless urge to attack the living.
What is the difference between a "zombie" and a "ghost"?
A zombie is a reanimated corpse — a physical, walking dead body from folklore and fiction — while a ghost is the immaterial spirit of a dead person. A zombie has a body but no mind; a ghost has no body at all.
What is a "zombie" computer?
In computing, a zombie is a computer secretly infected with malware and controlled remotely by an attacker without the owner's knowledge. Many such zombies linked together form a "botnet" used for large-scale attacks.
What is the difference between a "zombie" and a "vampire"?
Both are undead creatures of fiction, but a zombie is a mindless reanimated corpse driven to attack the living, while a vampire is typically an intelligent being that survives by drinking blood. Vampires keep their wits and personality; zombies generally do not.
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