dead-on

adjective

ˈded-ˈȯn How to pronounce dead-on (audio)
-ˈän
: exactly correct or accurate
a dead-on analysis
his impersonations were dead-on

Examples of dead-on in a Sentence

a stand-up comedian known for her dead-on impressions of various divas of stage and screen
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Nope star stopped by The Tonight Show on Tuesday night (Nov. 19) to describe the scary moment to host Jimmy Fallon, complete with a pretty dead-on Nicki impersonation. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024 Playing the 81-year-old president as aghast, confused, and inarticulate could easily amount to an unkind impersonation, but in Carvey’s masterful hands, there is zero heightening — only dead-on accuracy. Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024 The first was Hurricane Ian, which made landfall dead-on as a Category 4 storm. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 9 Oct. 2024 An uncanny ability to make dead-on observations of those around him, Gregg is sardonic, defeated and would love nothing more than to retire. Denise Petski, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2024 The shade Baby is pretty much a dead-on match for my natural lips. Humeara Mohamed, refinery29.com, 7 Aug. 2024 Weirdly, your timing was dead-on for people searching for a comedic break from what is going on in the world. Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024 Then, Richard dismounted and stuck a dead-on landing, finishing with a 14.166 score, good enough for third overall in the group. Candace Buckner, Washington Post, 27 July 2024 One of my best friends once said, ‘Your aesthetic is Waylon Jennings meets Tim Burton,’ which feels pretty dead-on. Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 17 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dead-on was circa 1889

Dictionary Entries Near dead-on

Cite this Entry

“Dead-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead-on. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!