20 a dead loss → see loss
21 a dead ringer → see ringer
22 to stop dead in your tracks → see track SYNONYMS dead ADJ 1
deceased: …his recently deceased mother.
late: …my late husband.
extinct: It is 250 years since the wolf became extinct in Britain.
dead|beat /de dbiːt/ (deadbeats ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a deadbeat , you are criticizing them because you think they are lazy and do not want to be part of ordinary society. [AM , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
dea d-bea t also dead beat ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you are dead-beat , you are very tired and have no energy left. [INFORMAL ]
dea d du ck (dead ducks ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone or something as a dead duck , you are emphasizing that you think they have absolutely no chance of succeeding. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ]
dead|en /de d ə n/ (deadens , deadening , deadened ) VERB If something deadens a feeling or a sound, it makes it less strong or loud. □ [V n] He needs morphine to deaden the pain in his chest.
dea d e nd (dead ends )
1 N‑COUNT If a street is a dead end , there is no way out at one end of it.
2 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A dead end job or course of action is one that you think is bad because it does not lead to further developments or progress. □ Waitressing was a dead-end job.
dead|en|ing /de d ə n I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A deadening situation destroys people's enthusiasm and imagination. □ She was bored with the deadening routine of her life.
dea d ha nd N‑SING You can refer to the dead hand of a particular thing when that thing has a bad or depressing influence on a particular situation. [mainly BRIT ] □ …the dead hand of bureaucracy.
dea d-head (dead-heads , dead-heading , dead-headed ) also deadhead
1 VERB To dead-head a plant which is flowering means to remove all the dead flowers from it. [BRIT ] □ [V n] Dead-head roses as the blooms fade.
2 N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a deadhead , you mean that they are stupid or slow. [AM , INFORMAL ]
dea d hea t (dead heats ) N‑COUNT If a race or contest is a dead heat , two or more competitors are joint winners, or are both winning at a particular moment in the race or contest. In American English, you can say that a race or contest is in a dead heat . □ The race ended in a dead heat between two horses.
dea d le t|ter (dead letters ) N‑COUNT If you say that a law or agreement is a dead letter , you mean that it still exists but people ignore it. □ No one does anything about it and the law becomes a dead letter.
dead|line ◆◇◇ /de dla I n/ (deadlines ) N‑COUNT A deadline is a time or date before which a particular task must be finished or a particular thing must be done. □ We were not able to meet the deadline because of manufacturing delays. □ [+ for ] The deadline for submissions to the competition will be Easter Sunday.
dead|lock /de dlɒk/ (deadlocks ) N‑VAR If a dispute or series of negotiations reaches deadlock , neither side is willing to give in at all and no agreement can be made. □ They called for a compromise on all sides to break the deadlock in the world trade talks.
dead|locked /de dlɒkt/ ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If a dispute or series of negotiations is deadlocked , no agreement can be reached because neither side will give in at all. You can also say that the people involved are deadlocked . □ [+ over ] The peace talks have been deadlocked over the issue of human rights since August.
dead|ly /de dli/ (deadlier , deadliest )
1 ADJ If something is deadly , it is likely or able to cause someone's death, or has already caused someone's death. □ He was acquitted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. □ …a deadly disease currently affecting dolphins. □ Passive smoking can be deadly too.
2 ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as deadly , you mean that they will do or say anything to get what they want, without caring about other people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The Duchess levelled a deadly look at Nikko.
3 ADV [ADV adj] You can use deadly to emphasize that something has a particular quality, especially an unpleasant or undesirable quality. [EMPHASIS ] □ Broadcast news was accurate and reliable but deadly dull.
4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A deadly situation has unpleasant or dangerous consequences. □ …the deadly combination of low expectations and low achievement.
5 ADJ Deadly enemies or rivals fight or compete with each other in a very aggressive way. □ The two became deadly enemies.
dea d mea t N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone is dead meat , you mean that they are in very serious trouble that may result in them being hurt or injured in some way. [INFORMAL , SPOKEN ]
dead|pan /de dpæn/ ADJ Deadpan humour is when you appear to be serious and are hiding the fact that you are joking or teasing someone. □ …her natural capacity for irony and deadpan humour.
dea d wei ght (dead weights )
1 N‑COUNT A dead weight is a load which is surprisingly heavy and difficult to lift.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can refer to something that makes change or progress difficult as a dead weight . □ …the dead weight of traditional policies.
dea d woo d N‑UNCOUNT People or things that have been used for a very long time and that are no longer considered to be useful can be referred to as dead wood . [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …the idea that historical linguistics is so much dead wood.