dead heat

See synonyms for dead heat on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a race in which two or more competitors finish in a tie.

  2. the result of such a race; tie.

Origin of dead heat

1
First recorded in 1790–1800

Words Nearby dead heat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dead heat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dead heat

dead heat

noun
    • a race or contest in which two or more participants tie for first place

    • a tie between two or more contestants in any position

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with dead heat

dead heat

A contest in which the competitors are equally matched and neither can win; a tie. For example, The two companies are in a dead heat to get a new personal computer on the market. This term comes from 18th-century British horse racing and is still part of racing terminology. It later was transferred to other kinds of competition.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.