Meanings
nounvoodoo death (countable and uncountable, plural voodoo deaths)
plural voodoo deaths
- countableuncountableSudden death brought about by a strong emotional shock such as fear.
Synonyms: psychogenic death, psychosomatic death
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSudden death brought about by a strong emotional shock such as fear.
Similar
psychogenic deathpsychosomatic death
Origin
Coined by Walter Cannon in 1942.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
voodoo death. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voodoo%20death
MLA
“voodoo death.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voodoo%20death. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “voodoo death,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voodoo%20death.
Source: voodoo death on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.