dead in the water adjective2 •Stationary with respect to the current, having no means of propulsion.Unaware of her compatriots' fate, Aaron Ward found herself staring down the gun barrels of Kirishima, a fight that did not end well for the destroyer, which was soon dead in the water. — 2021 •(figurative) Doomed; unable to succeed.I'm afraid we have to inform the Prime Minister that Operation Undertow is dead in the water. — 1981
