dead as a doorknob

adjective

Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

“I tried the flashlight, but the battery was as dead as a doorknob.”

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Meanings

adjective
  1. simileEntirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

    I tried the flashlight, but the battery was as dead as a doorknob.

    1 more example

    I found the mouse who lived in our wall, lying on his back with his feet in the air—as dead as a doorknob.

Origin

Possibly from a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the expression dead as a doornail. See usage notes below.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish død som en sild
  • død som en sildunquestionably dead (see here)
Finnish kuollut kuin kivi
  • kuollut kuin kiviunquestionably dead (see here)
Norwegian Bokmål død som en sild
  • død som en sildunquestionably dead (see here)
Cite this entry
APA

dead as a doorknob. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20as%20a%20doorknob

MLA

“dead as a doorknob.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20as%20a%20doorknob. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead as a doorknob,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20as%20a%20doorknob.

Source: dead as a doorknob on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.