dead in the water

phrase

1

: not making any progress : stalled

negotiations were dead in the water

2

: not having any chance of success

… most books are dead in the water long before their publication date.

—Phillip Lopate

Examples of dead in the water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After some quality control checks, including researchers who examine mosquito sperm under a microscope to ensure those swimmers are dead in the water, they get packed into containers for release. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Later that afternoon, the victim was found dead in the water by dive team members. — Susan Young, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026

Earlier this month at Centerville Lake in Anoka County, hundreds of northern pike, bluegill and largemouth bass were found dead in the water. — Jason Rantala, CBS News, 29 July 2026

There are historical examples of teams that seemed dead in the water only to catch fire and make the playoffs. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dead in the water

• auteur
• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter
• squatter