dead horse
noun
: an exhausted or profitless topic or issue
—usually used in the phrases beat a dead horse and flog a dead horse
Examples of dead horse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Courtesy Jim Bill Anderson In Hemphill County, which is located in the Panhandle, over a thousand missing or dead cattle have been reported, as well as several dead horses, goats and sheep.
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Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2024
Perhaps this sounds like kicking a dead horse, since the DCEU is over, it’s been talked to death with regard to its failures, and now the problem of super-failure is every studio’s problem, including Marvel who just had the #1 worst franchise drop of all time.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
But seven dead horses in a little more than a week?
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 7 May 2023
The new safety initiatives would have only impacted one of the 12 dead horses: Kimberley Dream.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for dead horse 
Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2024
Perhaps this sounds like kicking a dead horse, since the DCEU is over, it’s been talked to death with regard to its failures, and now the problem of super-failure is every studio’s problem, including Marvel who just had the #1 worst franchise drop of all time.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
But seven dead horses in a little more than a week?
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 7 May 2023
The new safety initiatives would have only impacted one of the 12 dead horses: Kimberley Dream.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for dead horse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dead horse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dead horse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20horse. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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