dead horse
noun
: an exhausted or profitless topic or issue
—usually used in the phrases beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse
Examples of dead horse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Okay, that’s enough of the racing metaphor, don’t want to beat a dead horse.
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Josh Brown and Sean Russo, CNBC, 4 May 2026
After four arduous episodes of beating Wihan’s dead horse, conflict is finally escalating again.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
Maybe Unify will end up as a hyper-realistic AI companion that looks like Florentino Perez, or an app that measures your level of hubris, like the one that tracks your steps, or a simulator that allows users to relieve stress by flogging dead horses.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
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Josh Brown and Sean Russo, CNBC, 4 May 2026
After four arduous episodes of beating Wihan’s dead horse, conflict is finally escalating again.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
Maybe Unify will end up as a hyper-realistic AI companion that looks like Florentino Perez, or an app that measures your level of hubris, like the one that tracks your steps, or a simulator that allows users to relieve stress by flogging dead horses.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dead horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20horse. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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