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 recently as Wednesday, Warsh and Hassett were in a near dead heat.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
That puts it in a dead heat with even more highly funded rival OpenAI, in a race to the public markets.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025
An Emerson College poll in September showed the race in a dead heat at 43%.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill, meanwhile, is in a dead heat against Republican Jack Ciattarelli based on recent polling in that race.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
That puts it in a dead heat with even more highly funded rival OpenAI, in a race to the public markets.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025
An Emerson College poll in September showed the race in a dead heat at 43%.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill, meanwhile, is in a dead heat against Republican Jack Ciattarelli based on recent polling in that race.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dead heat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead heat
Noun
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Late in the first half, the senior midfielder ripped in a free kick from 35 yards to help visiting Providence earn a 1-1 tie against crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
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Also in the Trinity League on Friday, JSerra moved into a second-place tie with Santa Margarita with a 2-0 win against Mater Dei.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Real Madrid’s draw with Real Betis on Friday night and Barca’s win against Getafe widened the gap between the two to 11 points.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The club has not scored more than two in MLS play since a 3-3 draw against Dallas on March 14.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dead heat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20heat. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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