as in tie
a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other
the horses crossed the finish line in a dead heat
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Recent Examples of dead heat
As of today the Red Sox and Tigers have the same record, so if Detroit loses its series to Cleveland and falls out of first place in the AL Central, the two clubs could conceivably be in a dead heat for one of the last Wild Card spots.
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Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Wednesday’s poll comes after an Emerson College survey released last week showed the incumbent senator and attorney general locked in a dead heat.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025
In a smaller Emerson College poll Aug, 11-12, coinciding with the TSU poll, Cornyn and Paxton came out in a dead heat.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2025
The two teams are in a dead heat with 42 games remaining, shrinking any margin for error.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Wednesday’s poll comes after an Emerson College survey released last week showed the incumbent senator and attorney general locked in a dead heat.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025
In a smaller Emerson College poll Aug, 11-12, coinciding with the TSU poll, Cornyn and Paxton came out in a dead heat.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2025
The two teams are in a dead heat with 42 games remaining, shrinking any margin for error.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead heat
Noun
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Improving ties with Japan could give Trump more leverage.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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Maintaining positive ties with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung would continue the lattice-like foreign policy encouraged by Washington, one that favors multilateral cooperation among like-minded nations over bilateral dependence.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Last season, injuries and suspensions contributed to Arsenal going four league games without a win (two losses and two draws), with another end-of-season slump coinciding with a greater push in the Champions League — winning only one of six games between matchday 31 and 36, racking up four draws.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20heat. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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