Idioms With Dead and Meanings, Idioms about Dead, Example Sentences

List of idioms with the word Dead and the meanings. Commonly used idioms related to “dead” and their meanings along with example sentences.

Idioms With Dead

1. “To be dead tired” – This means to be extremely exhausted. Example: “After working a double shift, I’m dead tired and just want to go to bed.”
2. “To be dead serious” – This means to be completely serious and not joking. Example: “When I told you to leave, I was dead serious. Don’t come back until you’ve thought about what you’ve done.”
3. “Dead in the water” – This means to be ineffective or inactive. Example: “Without proper funding, the project is dead in the water and won’t be able to move forward.”
4. “Dead weight” – This means to be a burden or hindrance to progress. Example: “I need to get rid of the dead weight in my team and find someone who can actually contribute.”
5. “Dead on arrival” – This means to be ineffective from the start. Example: “The proposal was dead on arrival, as it was full of errors and lacked critical information.”
6. “Dead man walking” – This means to be in a situation of impending doom. Example: “After being convicted, he felt like a dead man walking and feared for his life.”
7. “Dead as a doornail” – This means to be completely dead or inactive. Example: “The power went out and all the electronics are dead as a doornail.”

dead cat on the line

Rur. [for something to be]wrong. I’m afraid there’s a dead cat on the line over at Martha’s place. I haven’t heard from them for days.

dead ahead

straight ahead; directly ahead.

• Look out! There is a cow in the road dead ahead.
• The farmer said that the town we wanted was dead ahead.

dead and buried

gone forever. (Refers literally to persons and figuratively to ideas and other things.)

• No w that Uncle George is dead and buried, we can read his will.
• That kind of thinking is dead and buried.

dead in someone’s or something’s tracks

exactly where someone or something is at the moment; at this instant. (This does not usually have anything to do with death. The phrase is often used with stop.)

• Her unkind words stopped me dead in my tracks.
• When I heard the rattlesnake, I stopped dead in my tracks.
• The project came to a halt dead in its tracks.

dead loss

a total loss.

• My investment was a dead loss.
• This car is a dead loss. It was a waste of money.

dead on one’s or its feet

exhausted; worn out; no longer useful.

• He can’t teach well anymore. He’s dead on his feet.
• This inefficient com-pany is dead on its feet.

dead set against someone or something

totally opposed to someone or something.

• I’m dead set against the new tax proposal.
• Everyone is dead set against the mayor.

dead to the world

tired; exhausted; sleeping soundly. (Compare to dead on one’s feet.)

• I’ve had such a hardday. I’m really dead to the world.
• Look at her sleep. She’s dead to the world.