dead heat

American  

noun

1. a race in which two or more competitors finish in a tie.

2. the result of such a race; tie.

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dead heat British  

noun

1. 1. a race or contest in which two or more participants tie for first place

   2. a tie between two or more contestants in any position

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dead heat Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of dead heat

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

The most recent survey put the CDU and the Greens in a dead heat on 28 percent.

From Barron's

The latest controversy adds to a list which includes sinkings, crashes, mutinies, and the controversial 1877 dead heat, when the result was decided in court.

From BBC

The Pembrokeshire brothers had to share the spoils at Cheltenham in December after a dead heat was recorded between their horses.

From BBC

By election day, the contest was a dead heat.

From Los Angeles Times

Options were limited: the state’s Election Code says that a race ending in a dead heat can be decided by a special runoff election or “by lot.”

From Los Angeles Times