Meaning & use
DOA
Dead on arrival: already dead when brought to a hospital or found by emergency responders.
See it in a sentence
Paramedics reported the patient was DOA after the severe car crash.
Critics said the new policy was DOA the moment lawmakers saw its price tag.
A note on using this word
Originally a medical and legal term, DOA is now often used figuratively in business or politics to describe a plan that fails before it even begins.
Words with a similar meaning
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