dead on arrival

phrase

: having died before getting to a hospital, emergency room, etc.
The victim was dead on arrival at the hospital.
—often used figuratively
The bill was dead on arrival in the Senate.

Examples of dead on arrival in a Sentence

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.
Just this week, the House sent the Senate two pieces of legislation that included the SAVE America Act, making each of these pieces of legislation — the National Defense Authorization Act and a $95 billion party-line spending bill — dead on arrival. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 2026 If your story isn't genuinely interesting or useful to their readers, the pitch is dead on arrival—the same as it's always been. — Parry Headrick, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 With a 60-vote threshold in the Senate and no support from Democrats, any effort to continue them will almost certainly be dead on arrival. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026 Could County Commissioner Jason Lowe's proposal of a controversial county sales tax to finish and operate the new Oklahoma County jail be dead on arrival? — Richard Mize, Oklahoman, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dead on arrival

Rhymes for dead on arrival

See All Rhymes for dead on arrival

Browse Nearby Words

dead-on
dead on arrival
dead on one's feet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dead on arrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20on%20arrival. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All