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dead on arrival

idiom

Definition of dead on arrival

: having died before getting to a hospital, emergency room, etc.
  • The victim was dead on arrival at the hospital.
—often used figuratively
  • Some are saying that any new tax proposal would be dead on arrival.

Word by Word Definitions

dead play

  1. : deprived of life : no longer alive

  2. : having the appearance of death : deathly

  3. : lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb

  1. : someone who is no longer alive : one that is dead (see 1dead 1)

  2. : the state of being dead

  3. : the time of greatest quiet

  1. : absolutely, utterly

  2. : suddenly and completely

  3. : directly

See the full definition of dead
arrival play

  1. : the act of arriving

  2. : the attainment of an end or state

  3. : one that has recently arrived

See the full definition of arrival

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