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dead letter
noun
1
: something that has lost its force or authority without being formally abolished
2
: a letter that is undeliverable and unreturnable by the post office
Examples of dead letter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Today, to our peril, the Monroe Doctrine is becoming a dead letter.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
Among other films to see is Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s SXSW title Dead Mail, in which an ominous help note finds its way to a 1980s post office, connecting a dead letter investigator to a kidnapped keyboard technician.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2024
Eurasianism and Slavophilism are mostly dead letters: the overwhelming majority of the world’s non-Russian Slavs joined or are clamoring to join the European Union and NATO.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
Those have been turned into a dead letter by the Republic.
—Gregory Makoff, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near dead letter
Cite this Entry
“Dead letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20letter. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
dead letter
noun1
: something that has lost its force or authority without being abolished
2
: a letter that cannot be delivered or returned by the post office
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