From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishto deathto deathinformal a) used to emphasize that a feeling or emotion is very strongbe bored/scared/frightened etc to death She was scared to death of what might happen next. I’m absolutely sick to death of it (=very angry, bored, or unhappy about something).bore/scare/love etc somebody to death He drove at a speed which frightened Leonora to death. She used to worry me to death. b) used to say that an action is continued with a lot of effort and for as long as possible They just work you to death in that place. → death
Examples from the Corpus
to death• This approach to death was appealing.• He bled to death after being stabbed repeatedly.• Death sentences Three members of the illegal Hezbollah organization were condemned to death on March 1 by a criminal court in Tlemcen.• And no, the baby never froze to death.• Two of the blacks arrested were reportedly machine-gunned to death by state troopers at the jail.• This is grief and hatred and people hacked to death.• Exclaiming that he was already a priest, Quirnus insisted that the magistrate put him to death.• Will he be caught at last, and put to death?• The baby starved to death.• We will be slowly strangled to death. 