Dead as a doornail
/ded əz ə ˈdɔːneɪl/informalUK · US
What does “Dead as a doornail” mean?
Dead as a doornail means to be completely dead or no longer working
If an old radio will not make a sound, you might call it dead as a doornail. You are stressing how completely it has stopped working.
With a person or animal, the wording is blunt and can sound comic. Choose gentler words when someone is grieving.
When do people say it?
An emphatic, informal phrase. It can describe a failed device as well as something dead, but is too blunt for a sensitive conversation about a death.
“The beetle on the windowsill was dead as a doornail.”
Is it formal or informal?
Register: informal. It is most at home in everyday conversation rather than formal writing. Most common in UK and US.
Where does it come from?
A doornail is a nail fixed in a door. The comparison is an old emphatic way to say “dead”; explanations for the particular nail image are uncertain.
Origin confidence: Disputed; treat with caution
How do you say “Dead as a doornail” in other languages?
Last updated 2026-11-13