DOA
Americanabbreviation
Usage
What does DOA mean? DOA stands for dead on arrival. Outside of law enforcement and hospitals, DOA is used figuratively for a hopeless situation or something doomed from the start. How is DOA pronounced?[ dee-oh-ey ]
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.
After the framework was released, Davidson posted a blunt prediction on X: "DOA," shorthand for "dead on arrival."
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
It seems likely, if not certain, that the whole cooties thing would have been DOA in high school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Buzz grows around a proposed $40 million tram-accessible hotel atop the Pacific Crest — a lofty idea rendered DOA when Congress establishes the William O. Douglas Wilderness.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
If Elon Musk’s tweets are pure lizard-brain id, Bezos’ tweets are all superego — my guy probably workshops them, which is why they’re DOA, emotionally.
From The Verge ● May 16, 2022
According to one freight bill, the Underworld’s billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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.
