zombie
/zɔ̃.bi/
The French word for "zombie" is zombie. Wiktionary also lists zombi.
Meaning: the undead (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| zombie | /zɔ̃.bi/ |
| zombi | /zɔ̃.bi/ |
The term refers to the undead. You may encounter more descriptive formal terms such as mort-vivant (living dead) or cadavre animé (animated corpse).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form for both zombi and zombie is zombis.
How do you pronounce it?
/zɔ̃.bi/
Did you know?
- Long before it meant a monster, the term appeared in the 1765 Encyclopédie as zambys, referring to 'spirit gods' of African tribes.
- In French, the adjective zombifié is commonly used as a metaphor to describe a student or worker who is so exhausted they are acting without consciousness.
- The spelling zombi (without the 'e') is actually the older, more traditional French form, though the English-style zombie is now very common.
Examples in context
- Je suis un zombie !I'm a zombie!This sentence is useful for stating that you are a zombi.Tatoeba #2264830 by Aiji, translation #2264822 by _undertoad
- Ziri est un zombie.Ziri is a zombie.This sentence is useful for stating that Ziri is a zombi.Tatoeba #11075872 by Amastan, translation #10228625 by Amastan
- Ziri est un zombie et il mange les cerveaux.Ziri is a zombie and he eats brains.This sentence is useful for describing Ziri as a zombi who eats brains.Tatoeba #11682250 by Amastan, translation #11190059 by Amastan
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are watching a horror movie together.
- ChloéRegarde, le zombie arrive !Look, the zombie is coming!
- NathanIl fait vraiment peur.He is really scary.
- ChloéC'est le meilleur zombie du film.He is the best zombie in the movie.
- NathanJe suis d'accord avec toi.I agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zombie” translations and entries zombie, zombi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries zombi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
