bites the dust
Meets one's end
Bites the dust means to die or be killed, often violently: Another cowboy bites the dust.
The phrase extends to anything that fails, breaks, or comes to an end: My old laptop finally bit the dust.
The image is of someone falling face-first to the ground in defeat.
- expiresComes to an end
- perishesComes to an end
- diesStops being alive
- passes awayCeases to live
- kick the bucketSlang for dying
crash and burn · fail · go belly up · hit the skids · dead in the water · fall by the wayside · collapse · meet one's maker · push up daisies · succumb · cash in one's chips · throw in the towel · fiasco · demise · downfall · defeat · down for the count · passing
bites the dustsurvives
Remains alive despite hardship
lives · pulls through · makes it · comes back to life · rises from the dead
bites the dustworks
Functions or labors
holds up · runs · keeps going · functions · fires on all cylinders
bite, bites, bitten, biting, biter, biters, dust, dusts, dusty