Meanings
- USidiomaticnot comparableWith sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.
have someone dead to rights on something
1 more example
Because of the video replay, the ref had him dead to rights on the penalty.
Synonyms: bang to rights, red-handed, bang to rights, blameworthily, compunctiously, guiltylike, guiltily, nocently
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbWith sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.
Origin
US, 1854, originally New York City criminal slang, thence entered general use. dead (“completely, utterly”) + to rights (“properly”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
dead to rights. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20to%20rights
“dead to rights.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20to%20rights. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead to rights,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20to%20rights.
Source: dead to rights on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.