Phrase guide

dead wood

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Matters or things that have become unnecessary or otherwise useless; bloat, dead weight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dead, wood.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: kuollut puu — (literally) wood that is dead
  • French: bois mort — (literally) wood that is dead
  • Polish: martwe drewno — (literally) wood that is dead
  • Finnish: riippakivi — (figuratively) matters or things that have become unnecessary or otherwise useless
  • French: bois mort — (figuratively) matters or things that have become unnecessary or otherwise useless
  • Polish: zbędne rzeczy — (figuratively) matters or things that have become unnecessary or otherwise useless