(as) dead as a doornail

idiom

chiefly US, informal
used to stress that someone or something is dead
The old captain was dead as a doornail.
often used figuratively
The negotiations are as dead as a doornail.
The deal is dead as a doornail.

Examples of (as) dead as a doornail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The film itself seems to be Death's next target, dead as a doornail. Michael Lee Simpson, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2022 These phrases catch on, are picked up by a host of people, and quickly become trite or dead as a doornail (itself a cliché) as their originality and cleverness vanish into thin air (another cliché). Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022 Biden’s critical race theory: racist, wrong and dead as a doornail. Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 16 May 2022 Old Marley was dead as a doornail, and so was the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, which up until the COVID-19 lockdown had transformed the Cow Palace exhibition hall into lamplit Victorian London. Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Dec. 2021

Dictionary Entries Near (as) dead as a doornail

Cite this Entry

“(as) dead as a doornail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%28as%29%20dead%20as%20a%20doornail. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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