Synonyms

dead horse

American

noun

something that has ceased to be useful or relevant.

idioms

beat / flog a dead horse, to persist in pursuing or trying to revive interest in a project or subject that has lost its usefulness or relevance.

dead horse More Idioms

see beat a dead horse.

Etymology

Origin of dead horse

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Skeptics suspected the remains were from a dead horse or calf.

From Literature

In fact, the scene was shot at Dead Horse Point State Park using the Ford Thunderbird and visual effects.

From The Wall Street Journal

“While it feels like beating a dead horse we still believe CPUs have been over-shipping PCs for some time,” Rasgon said in a Wednesday note, adding that this dynamic could come to a head this year if increasing memory prices hurt PC shipments.

From MarketWatch

Right before the COVID-19 lockdown, Touché Amoré played what would be their final stop at Chain Reaction on tour for the 10th anniversary of their first record, “...To the Beat of a Dead Horse.”

From Los Angeles Times

As the story of the Coldplay kiss-cam couple ducks out of camera range and into history, and we ride that dead horse into the sunset, let us take a moment to examine what the internet hath wrought.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023