drove a nail in someone's coffin

A form of drive a nail in someone's coffin — To do something tending to hasten someone's death or ruin.

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Meanings

verb
  1. pastsimple past of drive a nail in someone's coffin
Cite this entry
APA

drove a nail in someone's coffin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drove%20a%20nail%20in%20someone's%20coffin

MLA

“drove a nail in someone's coffin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drove%20a%20nail%20in%20someone's%20coffin. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drove a nail in someone's coffin,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drove%20a%20nail%20in%20someone's%20coffin.

Source: drove a nail in someone's coffin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.