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.
Courtesy of Tierra Patagonia Courtesy of Tierra Patagonia Location Tierra Patagonia sits on the picturesque shores of Lake Sarmiento, with dead-on views of the park’s iconic mountains and namesake towers. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025 So in the unlikely event that there’s a dead-on collision with a large asteroid at the reactor site, the debris of the reactor may be distributed in the dust of the moon, but all those little TRISO particles will hopefully remain intact. Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Aug. 2025 Pixar’s first feature is still the template for every great movie the studio has made since: earned emotions; ripping action sequences; dead-on insights into human nature; and lots of giddy, witty, silly laughs. Will Leitch, Vulture, 19 June 2025 Simpson seemed particularly excited to see the photographer Dawoud Bey, who’s spent a half century chronicling life on the streets of Black communities, mostly through dead-on portraits. Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 That dawn of discovery is an incredible moment that plays out in a car with Jordan’s reaction to Sammie’s star-making talent being dead-on perfect. Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025 Indeed, Dean Edwards' Denzel is hilarious and dead-on, Kenan Thompson's impression here less so. EW.com, 8 Dec. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Dead-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead-on. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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