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dead in the water

failed with no chance of progress

In Headline Expressions

In more detail

(idiom) unable to succeed or make progress; not working or functioning properly

Examples

• The project is dead in the water without more funding.
• When the main server crashed, our entire operation was dead in the water.

How to use dead in the water

This idiom describes something that has stopped functioning or making progress, often due to an unexpected problem or setback. It is used for projects, plans, initiatives, or processes that are unable to move forward. The phrase suggests a situation is hopeless or beyond recovery without intervention.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• leave something dead in the water
• be dead in the water
• project dead in the water
• plan is dead in the water
• dead in the water without

Synonyms

stalled · stuck · going nowhere · dead in the water · non-functional

Opposites

on track · progressing · functional

A common mistake

Learners sometimes overuse this idiom in contexts where simpler words like 'stuck' or 'stalled' would be more appropriate, or they use it to describe something merely delayed rather than fundamentally blocked.

Nearby in Headline Expressions

a smoking gun, a seat at the table, a wild card, an uphill battle, the buck stops here, rock the boat

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained