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
Forecasts rate Ohio's Senate race as a toss-up, and most surveys have it a dead heat.
—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
If two horses hit the wire at the exact same time it’s called a dead heat.
—
Neil Greenberg,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
The most expensive Republican primary for governor in Georgia history is still a dead heat despite a staggering avalanche of ad spending and one of the ugliest intraparty fights in recent memory.
—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Thirty-one years later, another dazzling young Maverick finds himself in a ROY race dead heat with two weeks left in the regular season.
—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
If two horses hit the wire at the exact same time it’s called a dead heat.
—
Neil Greenberg,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
The most expensive Republican primary for governor in Georgia history is still a dead heat despite a staggering avalanche of ad spending and one of the ugliest intraparty fights in recent memory.
—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Thirty-one years later, another dazzling young Maverick finds himself in a ROY race dead heat with two weeks left in the regular season.
—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead heat
Noun
-
Misiorowski didn’t give up a hit until Seiya Suzuki broke a scoreless tie with a home run to lead off the fifth inning.
-
Sean walked the runway in a satin blazer overcoat with jeans, a button-up shirt and a tie.
Noun
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After defeating Panama 1-0 in their first World Cup group-stage game, Ghana played to a scoreless draw with England before losing 2-1 to Croatia.
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Cape Verde made history on Friday, June 26, after playing Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw at Houston Stadium.
Cite this Entry
“Dead heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20heat. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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