die a thousand deaths

die a thousand deaths

1. To die many times. Used rhetorically to indicate one's intense opposition to some alternative. I would die a thousand deaths before I would even consider betraying my country.

2. To experience intense or repeated psychological suffering, usually due to embarrassment. I would die a thousand deaths if my arch-nemesis found out about my affair—she'd be sure to spread the word far and wide. I thought I would die a thousand deaths when I wet my pants in first grade, but I got over it eventually.

See also: death, die, thousand

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.