dead heat

noun

: a tie with no single winner of a race

broadly : tie

Synonyms of dead heat

• tie
• draw

Examples of dead heat in a Sentence

the horses crossed the finish line in a dead heat

Recent Examples on the Web

The race was rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, and a RealClearPolitics average of two polls showed the two candidates in a dead heat. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

The race tightened into a near dead heat despite Oregon not electing a Republican governor in more than four decades. — Spencer Kimball,garrett Downs,dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

Polls showed a virtual dead heat, which seemed like bad news for Harris. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Polls show Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition in a dead heat with his chief rival, the centrist Gadi Eisenkot. — Daniel Brook, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dead heat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

dead heat

noun

: a contest in which two or more competitors tie