DOA

or D.O.A.

1. dead on arrival.

DOA

abbreviation for

1. dead on arrival

Example Sentences

It was too late and Mosk was pronounced DOA of heart failure.

From The Daily Beast

Good news is that $20 million DoA catfish office has comfy chairs and recent issues of catfish newsletters and magazines.

From The Daily Beast

A House Republican proposal to extend the shutdown while delaying the debt-ceiling default is therefore DOA.

From The Daily Beast

At this point it goes without saying that anything Obama proposes is DOA.

From The Daily Beast

My take is that any sort of meaningful carbon legislation was DOA, probably even without the Great Recession.

From The Daily Beast

"Doa Estefania, have no fear; you possess an infallible preservative," exclaimed the cappellan.

From Project Gutenberg

And is it possible that the Doa can be obdurate to such irresistible attractions?

From Project Gutenberg

There was a moment's pause, and Doa Inez returned into the saloon, which was now beginning rapidly to fill.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, in heaven's name, do not put such a noble creature as Doa Inez on a level with a mere little trifling coquette.

From Project Gutenberg

"Nevertheless, the contrary is the case," replied Doa Encarnacion, with asperity.

From Project Gutenberg

About This Word

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 ]

Where does DOA come from?

DOA, for dead on arrival, is found around 1920–30 to describe a victim who is discovered already dead upon the arrival of first responders, such as police officers, or EMTs and hospital workers. Brought in dead (BID) is a similar expression.

DOA had become common enough outside the law enforcement and medical communities to title a classic 1949 film noir about a man who’s been poisoned.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-147822" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-147822" src="https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa-198x300.jpg" alt="" width="198" height="300" srcset="https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa-198x300.jpg 198w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa-768x1163.jpg 768w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa-677x1024.jpg 677w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa-713x1080.jpg 713w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/doa.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" />

United Artists Corporation

Since then, DOA has seen other uses in popular culture, from band names to professional wrestling promotions to a brand of fishing lures. In 1970, the rock band Bloodrock released “D.O.A.” about a plane crash victim.

How is DOA used in real life?

DOA is widely used by police officers and medical personnel to characterize the status of a victim.

U/D Queens: 19-54 77 St, Active Crime scene in regards to 5 people stabbed, 2 victims was now pronounced DOA, Suspect in custody. https://t.co/3Q0ktp8Hcg

— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) September 21, 2018

The figurative DOA is used, less morbidly and for dramatic effect, to describe hopeless situations or things that just never had a chance in the first place. They were metaphorically dead before they even started. It’s often used in politics for bills or proposals that never had a chance of succeeding.

my love life’s D.O.A.

— Abbie (@AbbieCartagena) September 18, 2018

 

More examples of DOA:

“With Philly’s construction tax ‘D.O.A.,’ Kenney proposes alternative”

—Holly Otterbein and Chris Brennan, Philadelphia Inquirer (headline), September 2018