drop like flies
idiom
informal
: to become ill or die over a short period of time and in large numbers
Horses and cattle dropped like flies during the drought.
The heat was so intense that people were dropping like flies.
—often used figurativelyCandidates were dropping like flies during the early part of the campaign.
Examples of drop like flies in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But even with those additions the Dodgers are watching their starters drop like flies.
—
Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Young talent was supposed to be prioritized this season and rotation players continue to drop like flies.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
However, as the event stretched on, streamers began to drop like flies.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 2 Jan. 2025
Soon destroyed or disabled, other vessels in the 30-odd transport drop like flies.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
At the beginning, opponents drop like flies.
—Shannon Liao, CNN, 1 Oct. 2020
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Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
Young talent was supposed to be prioritized this season and rotation players continue to drop like flies.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025
However, as the event stretched on, streamers began to drop like flies.
—Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 2 Jan. 2025
Soon destroyed or disabled, other vessels in the 30-odd transport drop like flies.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
At the beginning, opponents drop like flies.
—Shannon Liao, CNN, 1 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Drop like flies.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop%20like%20flies. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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