dead as a doornail
Meaning
Completely dead, finished, or no longer functioning; beyond any chance of recovery or return.
Origin
Recorded from at least the 14th century (e.g., in medieval English literature). A doornail, once hammered in a door, is bent/clenched and can’t be reused—metaphorically “dead” or utterly finished.
Notes
Strong, emphatic, slightly old-fashioned. Can sound blunt or insensitive about a person’s death; often used humorously for things (devices, plans, hopes) meaning “totally finished.”
Examples
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By the time we reached the campsite, my phone battery was dead as a doornail.
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After the storm, the old oak in the yard was dead as a doornail.
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He tried to revive the deal, but the negotiations were dead as a doornail.
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When I opened the laptop, the screen stayed black—dead as a doornail.
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The rumor was dead as a doornail once the official statement came out.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Used as a predicate adjective: “be dead as a doornail.” Fairly fixed wording; “as a doornail” rarely varies. Can be used figuratively for non-living things; “dead” may inflect only via the verb “be.”
Synonyms
- stone-dead
- dead as a dodo
- dead as a mackerel
- done for
- finished
Antonyms
- alive and kicking
- alive
- still in business
- going strong
- up and running