dead heat
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A race in which two (or more) leading competitors reach the goal at the same time, thus making it necessary to run the race over again. See HEAT.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “dead heat” mean?
A race in which two (or more) leading competitors reach the goal at the same time, thus making it necessary to run the race over again. See HEAT.
Is “dead heat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.