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.
One involves Isaac Poobalan, rector of St Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen, who said he felt like "a dead man walking" because he believes Bishop Dyer tried to drive him out.
From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025
“If you don’t care about losing in life then you are a dead man walking who doesn’t have any dreams.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 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 was just numb all over, like a dead man walking.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
