dead man walking
Britishnoun
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a condemned man walking from his prison cell to a place of execution
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informal any person in a doomed or untenable situation, esp one about to lose his or her job
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.
But after leading a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June, many observers described him as a "dead man walking".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2023
Still struggling to adjust to life after Leo, Barcelona’s financial problems have been well documented and manager Ronald Koeman is believed to be a dead man walking.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 2, 2021
"I was a dead man walking and I was the only person who did not know it," he said three years later.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2020
“I feel like the living dead, a dead man walking, walking on the lungomare,” he said, referring in Italian to the seafront promenade, in a long conversation, after some persuading.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2020
I was just numb all over, like a dead man walking.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
