dead heat

noun
1.
a race in which two or more competitors finish in a tie.
2.
the result of such a race; tie.
Origin
1790-1800
Examples from the web for dead heat
  • It's less than two weeks before the presidential election and the polls show a dead heat.
  • When a race results in a dead heat, the heat shall not be run off.
British Dictionary definitions for dead heat

dead heat

noun
1.
  1. a race or contest in which two or more participants tie for first place
  2. a tie between two or more contestants in any position
Slang definitions & phrases for dead heat

dead heat

noun phrase

A tied race, contest, etc: The election ended in a dead heat

[1796+ Horse racing; fr dead, ''absolute, total, thorough,'' related to the finality of death, and heat, ''a single course of a race,'' related either to a single firing or heating of a mass of metal, or to the heating of the body in running, or to both]


Idioms and Phrases with dead heat

dead heat

A contest in which the competitors are equally matched and neither can win; a tie. For example, The two companies are in a dead heat to get a new personal computer on the market. This term comes from 18th-century British horse racing and is still part of racing terminology. It later was transferred to other kinds of competition.