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

This poll is slightly different from the July 28 TPOR poll, which showed Middleton and Johnson in a dead heat — 39% to 38% with 18% undecided. — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

The 39-year-old has led Argentina to the World Cup’s round of 16 and his seven goals have put him in a dead heat with Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot trophy. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 July 2026

True to historic form, in those eight races, the post-time favorite was victorious three times with one of those being a dead heat in the Kelso Stakes between favored Zulu Kingdom and 8 to 1 shot Mi Bago. — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

By then the Gallup poll had us in a dead heat. — Chris Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 June 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