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.
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“Dead on arrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20on%20arrival. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.
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