zombie

Everyday

1. In stories, films and games, a zombie is a made-up dead person who has come back to life and walks around slowly without thinking. tree →
2. (informal) A zombie is a person who is very tired or not paying attention and moves without thinking: I'm a zombie in the mornings. tree →
3. (informal) Zombie can describe something that keeps going although it is useless or should have ended: a zombie company. tree →

In the lessons

In children's stories, games and Halloween costumes, zombies are a spooky monster; they are not real. In everyday talk, «like a zombie» means half-asleep. In safety and media lessons, zombies are fiction, not fact. Phrases: like a zombie, zombie film, zombie mode.

Examples

• My brother dressed up as a zombie for Halloween. tree →
• Zombies are not real; they are made up for stories. tree →
• I'm a total zombie until I've had breakfast. tree →
• The zombies in the game move very slowly. tree →
• After the sleepover we walked around like zombies. tree →
• The film was about a town full of zombies. tree →

Note

Plural: zombies (not zombys). Zombies are fictional — a myth, not real creatures. Sometimes spelled «zombi». Related spooky words: ghost, mummy, vampire.