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 figurativelySome 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
Five people were involved in the incident, with one being pronounced dead on arrival, Scottsdale Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Dave Folio said in a news briefing published by Fox 10 Phoenix.
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Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
One of passengers was pronounced dead on arrival and three others were transported to a local hospital.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2025
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
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Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
One of passengers was pronounced dead on arrival and three others were transported to a local hospital.
—Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for dead on arrival
Dictionary Entries Near dead on arrival
Cite this Entry
“Dead on arrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20on%20arrival. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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