definitions

dead horse

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dead horse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something that has ceased to be useful or relevant.

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RELATED WORDS

bill, commitment, mortgage, indebtedness, receipt, damage, due, liability, credit, deficit, capital, obligation, arrears, loss, shortfall, duty, claim, debenture, encumbrance, invoice

Nearby words

dead freight, dead from the neck up, dead hand, dead heart, dead heat, dead horse, dead in one's tracks, dead in the water, dead key, dead languages, dead leg

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.

Origin of dead horse

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dead horse

  • So side by side and hand in hand the two of us walked out into Dead-Horse Lake.

    The Prairie Child|Arthur Stringer

Idioms and Phrases with dead horse

dead horse

see beat a dead horse.

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