Definition of dead zone
1
: an area of water (as in a lake or ocean) in which the level of dissolved oxygen is so depleted (as by the decay of an algal bloom) that most life cannot be sustained
- This is the Gulf of Mexico's “dead zone,” which last summer reached the size of the state of New Jersey.
- —Carol Kaesuk Yoon, New York Times, 20 Jan. 1998
- In certain conditions, oxygen levels in the water can fall to dangerously low levels, creating what is commonly known as a dead zone. Fast-swimming creatures like fish can flee, but most bottom dwellers, such as shellfish, are likely to die.
- —Mark Schrope, New Scientist, 9 Dec. 2006
2
: an area where cell phone reception is very poor or unavailable
- The Sleek has even improved reception near my local gym, which used to be a dead zone.
- —Terry Gardner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2010
- “It would definitely be foolhardy to come into this wilderness park and expect cell coverage,” said [park ranger Jon] Preston, who gets reception on his phone about a mile up the trail from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. “Beyond that, you're in a dead zone … .”
- —Rob Ollikainen, Peninsula Daily News (Port Angeles, Washington), 4 Sept. 2010
