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.

Three of them died — James Shore and Kirby Brown were declared dead on arrival, while Liz Neumann died nine days later. —

Clay Risen, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 In truth, the indictments seemed somewhat dead on arrival. —

Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2024 My father—husband, brother, Uncle Al, Big Al—was on the floor in a pool of blood, shot in the back, dead on arrival. —

Gordon Garland, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025 Police responded to a shooting that happened at a home in Texas City just before 1:30 a.m. and found 17-year-old Joshua Gonzales dead on arrival, the Texas City Police Department said. —

Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for dead on arrival

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dead on arrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20on%20arrival. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Copy Citation