THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Dead in the water
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
Unable to continue successfully and very unlikely to succeed.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- Without a venue or funding, the original festival plan was dead in the water.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
0 of 1 checked correctly
Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
Without a venue or funding, the original festival plan was ________.
Show the answer
Dead in the water — Unable to continue successfully and very unlikely to succeed.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Dead in the water” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
Unable to continue successfully and very unlikely to succeed.
Compare: Without a venue or funding, the original festival plan was dead in the water.
Check the spelling and how the expression fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.
This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.
GO DEEPER
More ways to understand and use it
Jump to a section
When to use it
Use it for a plan or project that has effectively failed. It is a strong, conversational description rather than a neutral report of a small delay.
More examples in context
- The proposal was dead in the water after every partner withdrew.
- Our idea would be dead in the water without anyone available to run it.
Usage note
This usually describes a plan, proposal or effort, not a person. A temporary inconvenience is not enough unless it seriously ends the prospect of success.
A short conversation
A: Can the original exhibition plan still go ahead?
B: It is dead in the water now that we have lost the venue and equipment.
A: Let us consider a smaller alternative.
One more practice question
Which plan is dead in the water?
A. A plan progressing smoothly with all support confirmed.
B. A plan whose essential support has gone and which has almost no prospect of succeeding.
Check your answer
B. The phrase describes effective failure or an inability to progress.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.