dead on arrival

idiom

: having died before getting to a hospital, emergency room, etc.

The victim was dead on arrival at the hospital.

—often used figuratively

Some are saying that any new tax proposal would be dead on arrival.

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.

His tax reform of 1978, a major priority, was dead on arrival even among notional allies. —

Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 2 Jan. 2025 Around 11 of them were dead on arrival, and three died within a year. —

Ars Technica, 29 Nov. 2024 The suspect, identified by police as 57-year-old Gary Worthy, was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival just after 7 p.m. Wong, a seven-year veteran of the NYPD, was hospitalized but was expected to make a full recovery, police said. —

Tom Shea, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2024 The Speaker of the House is against legal marijuana, the pro-weed Attorney General nominee seems to be in trouble, and some of the new Senate leadership feel cannabis issues as dead on arrival. —

Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dead on arrival

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“Dead on arrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20on%20arrival. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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