dead march

American  

noun

1. a piece of solemn music for a funeral procession, especially one played at a military funeral.

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dead march British  

noun

1. a piece of solemn funeral music played to accompany a procession, esp at military funerals

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Etymology

Origin of dead march

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dead march

There he was draped with black crepe and, while the crowd stood silent and a band began a dead march, the gelding walked slowly around the full circuit of the track.

From Time Magazine Archive

For three and a half hours no character walks faster than a dead march or speaks faster than five words a minute.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a dead march nothing like it had ever been attempted before.

From Time Magazine Archive

And as from respectable circles young men and old are falling in line of procession, all the drums of woe begin to beat the dead march of ten thousand souls.

From The Abominations of Modern Society by Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)

Here, alone in Flanders, there was still music in the streets, even if it was often a dead march.

From Young Hilda at the Wars by Gleason, Arthur