dead letter

noun

1
: something that has lost its force or authority without being formally abolished
2
: a letter that is undeliverable and unreturnable by the post office

Examples of dead letter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those have been turned into a dead letter by the Republic. Gregory Makoff, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 But impeachment, once seen as perhaps the most serious check on corruption and abuse of power developed by the founders, now looks in danger of becoming a constitutional dead letter, just another weapon in today’s bitter, tit-for-tat partisan wars. Peter Baker, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024 Advertisement Before the bill turned into an apparent dead letter, Reps. Sara Jacobs and Juan Vargas of San Diego were critical of the proposal. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2024 Forget takings — Congress could render any part of the Constitution a dead letter by repealing or modifying the statutes that empower courts to provide remedies. Rob Johnson, National Review, 27 Jan. 2024 Many historians believed that provision — Section 3 of the 14th Amendment — became a dead letter after Congress adopted amnesty acts for ex-Confederates in 1872 and 1898. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023 That includes judges who recently ruled on cases involving January 6 sympathizers and concluded that Section Three was now a dead letter. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 13 Aug. 2023 Sign up His deal is already a dead letter in the upper chamber. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 14 June 2023 That made the Comstock Act a dead letter until last June when a very different set of justices overturned Roe in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 12 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dead letter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dead letter was in 1627

Dictionary Entries Near dead letter

Cite this Entry

“Dead letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead%20letter. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dead letter

noun
1
: something that has lost its force or authority without being abolished
2
: a letter that cannot be delivered or returned by the post office
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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