dead-on
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of dead-on
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
Some of the dead-on precision of Nilles’ attack was lost by out-of-sync video screens, an annoying glitch that needs attention given her monster performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
It’s one of many amusingly dead-on observations about the nature of popular music today, whether at the end that enjoys global adulation or at the opposite extreme.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Perhaps that goes some way to explain her mass appeal later in life, expanded in no small way by “Downton” creator Julian Fellowes’ dead-on writing for the show.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024
The story of Jesus Christ begins with a dead-on parody of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” with Kroll as a Larry Davidian Judas riffing with J.B.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2023
As far as I can tell, I hit Marth Crater dead-on.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
