"dead man walking" meaning in English

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "48 3 5 44",
      "word": "dead woman walking"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "48 3 5 44",
      "word": "dead person walking"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A phrase traditionally used in U.S. prisons to announce a condemned prisoner being walked to the place of execution. Its use has expanded as a euphemism for anyone facing an impending and unavoidable loss.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dead men walking",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "dead men walking"
      },
      "expansion": "dead man walking (plural dead men walking)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "48 3 5 44",
      "word": "lame duck"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "55 4 15 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 5 16 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 7 20 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 23 23 21",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1996, Stephen King, The Green Mile",
          "text": "It was Percy Wetmore who ushered Coffey onto the block, with the supposedly traditional cry of “Dead man walking! Dead man walking here!”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A condemned prisoner walking to a death chamber or other place of execution."
      ],
      "id": "en-dead_man_walking-en-noun-nCFmw1e7",
      "links": [
        [
          "condemned",
          "condemned"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 231",
          "text": "\"So, arrest me,\" Cummings said. \"The fuck do I care? I'm a dead man walking.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is soon to die."
      ],
      "id": "en-dead_man_walking-en-noun-vdVedDGH",
      "links": [
        [
          "die",
          "die"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is about to face an unavoidable loss (though the person may not realize it)."
      ],
      "id": "en-dead_man_walking-en-noun-GaHL2dZc",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Someone who is about to face an unavoidable loss (though the person may not realize it)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Meteorology",
          "orig": "en:Meteorology",
          "parents": [
            "Atmosphere",
            "Earth sciences",
            "Nature",
            "Sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A multivortex tornado typically appearing in the form of a human figure walking."
      ],
      "id": "en-dead_man_walking-en-noun-GTTjUkRB",
      "links": [
        [
          "meteorology",
          "meteorology"
        ],
        [
          "multivortex",
          "multivortex"
        ],
        [
          "tornado",
          "tornado"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(meteorology, slang) A multivortex tornado typically appearing in the form of a human figure walking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "climatology",
        "meteorology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dead man walking"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "dead woman walking"
    },
    {
      "word": "dead person walking"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "A phrase traditionally used in U.S. prisons to announce a condemned prisoner being walked to the place of execution. Its use has expanded as a euphemism for anyone facing an impending and unavoidable loss.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dead men walking",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "dead men walking"
      },
      "expansion": "dead man walking (plural dead men walking)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "lame duck"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1996, Stephen King, The Green Mile",
          "text": "It was Percy Wetmore who ushered Coffey onto the block, with the supposedly traditional cry of “Dead man walking! Dead man walking here!”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A condemned prisoner walking to a death chamber or other place of execution."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "condemned",
          "condemned"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 231",
          "text": "\"So, arrest me,\" Cummings said. \"The fuck do I care? I'm a dead man walking.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is soon to die."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "die",
          "die"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who is about to face an unavoidable loss (though the person may not realize it)."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Someone who is about to face an unavoidable loss (though the person may not realize it)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "en:Meteorology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A multivortex tornado typically appearing in the form of a human figure walking."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "meteorology",
          "meteorology"
        ],
        [
          "multivortex",
          "multivortex"
        ],
        [
          "tornado",
          "tornado"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(meteorology, slang) A multivortex tornado typically appearing in the form of a human figure walking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "climatology",
        "meteorology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dead man walking"
}