a nail in the coffin

a nail in the cof·fin

A a

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ey neyl in stressed th ee kaw-fin, kof-in]
- /eɪ neɪl ɪn stressed ði ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ey neyl in stressed th ee kaw-fin, kof-in]
- /eɪ neɪl ɪn stressed ði ˈkɔ fɪn, ˈkɒf ɪn/

Definition of a nail in the coffin words

phrase a nail in the coffin If you say that one thing is a nail in the coffin of another thing, you mean that it will help bring about its end or failure. 3

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 85% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

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