as in tie
a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other
the horses crossed the finish line in a dead heat
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Recent Examples of dead heat
Wednesday’s poll comes after an Emerson College survey released last week showed the incumbent senator and attorney general locked in a dead heat.
—
Julia Manchester, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025
In a smaller Emerson College poll Aug, 11-12, coinciding with the TSU poll, Cornyn and Paxton came out in a dead heat.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2025
The two teams are in a dead heat with 42 games remaining, shrinking any margin for error.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Also scoring the second-biggest opening day of 2025 behind Chicken Jockey juggernaut A Minecraft Movie, Fantastic Four pulled in another $100 million internationally — placing it in a virtual dead heat with Superman, which took in $220 million over its global opening.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Julia Manchester, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025
In a smaller Emerson College poll Aug, 11-12, coinciding with the TSU poll, Cornyn and Paxton came out in a dead heat.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2025
The two teams are in a dead heat with 42 games remaining, shrinking any margin for error.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Also scoring the second-biggest opening day of 2025 behind Chicken Jockey juggernaut A Minecraft Movie, Fantastic Four pulled in another $100 million internationally — placing it in a virtual dead heat with Superman, which took in $220 million over its global opening.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead heat
Noun
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To mark what would have been John Lennon’s 85th birthday, Propstore is auctioning off a handful of rare artifacts with ties to the late, great Liverpudlian musician.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
13 Oct. 2025
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China will likely be compelled to deepen ties with other markets, said Taimur Baig, chief economist at DBS Bank, potentially offering greater access to its trading partners.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The last two meetings between these teams have each ended in draws, but Brighton is on a hot streak after going unbeaten in five encounters against Newcastle.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Kate Schneider and Caroline Handwerk each scored in the third quarter to separate from a halftime draw, finally overcoming a standout job from Bulldogs goalie Shealyn Murphy (15 saves).—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20heat. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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