dead water
The eddying water under a slow-moving ship's counter, or a similar area of stationary…The eddying water under a slow-moving ship's counter, or a similar area of stationary fluid or gas in advance of a concave angle, which can occur when there is strong vertical density stratification (due to salinity or temperature or both), and can cause ships to become hard to control.
» We're dead in the water.
Meaning
2 senses(countable, uncountable)The eddying water under a slow-moving ship's counter, or a similar area of stationary fluid or gas in advance of a concave angle, which can occur when there is strong vertical density stratification (due to salinity or temperature or both), and can cause ships to become hard to control.
(countable, uncountable)A region in a body of moving water (or similar body of fluid in motion) where the water (fluid) is relatively stationary, or stagnant.
the Deadwaters of the Penobscot River
Examples
2 sentencesWe're dead in the water.
The Prime Minister's Brexit deal is dead in the water.
Forms
plural: dead watersWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable