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Glite Dictionary
to go the way of the dodo

to go the way of the dodo

2 8.6
To stop being used and disappear completely
  • idiom
translation icon : irse como el dodo
  • The Republican Party as we know it will go the way of the dodo bird and be nothing but a sad memory.
  • go the way of the dodo

And you know what The other thing I realized was there is some, there was a type of product that has gone the way of the dodo.

Examples

  • Many traditional jobs are going the way of the dodo as technology advances.

  • But if print goes the way of the dodo, publishers will have to rely on ebooks.

    Blog text (2)

  • I hate the idea of books going the way of the dodo.

    Blog text (2)

  • A lot of talking about family values in a country where family is going the way of the dodo.

    Blog text (8)

  • So maybe the white male conservative is going the way of the dodo.

    Blog text (31)

  • Sister solstice is gonna go the way of the dodo bird unless we find another way to market it to young people.

    Ass Backwards (2013)

  • According to Wikipedia, that show has gone the way of the dodo bird, way back in 2009.

    Blog text (18)

  • Are you in a role that's going the way of the dodo?

    Blog text (22)

  • Meanwhile, the old carrier model of charging for "minutes" will increasingly go the way of the dodo bird.

    Blog text (6)

  • The cutesy mascot is going the way of the dodo in the sports world, so we gotta fight for every little victory.

    Blog text (28)

Synonyms

to disappear
vsto go the way of the dodo
∞ 1.0

To stop being seen or to no longer be there

is narrower, focusing on permanent extinction of species or things
to die
vsto go the way of the dodo
840 4.8

To stop being felt, as a feeling or idea

is specific to whole species or groups vanishing completely
to die out
vsto go the way of the dodo
47 3.7

To stop existing over time, for example animals or traditions

is used for complete disappearance without stressing gradual timing
to die off
vsto go the way of the dodo
21 5.8

Plants or animals gradually become fewer until none remain

is broader, applying to complete disappearance beyond only groups of living things
to become extinct
vsto go the way of the dodo
15 4.5

Stop existing as a kind of animal, plant, or language

is the idiomatic expression for that same complete disappearance
to pass away
vsto go the way of the dodo
12 3.5

To slowly disappear or stop existing

is stronger, meaning complete extinction rather than gentle fading
to vanish off the face of the earth
vsto go the way of the dodo
  • Informal
1 8.1

Disappear completely so no one knows what happened and no sign is left

is about permanent extinction, not necessarily mysterious or unexplained
to go the way of the dinosaurs
vsto go the way of the dodo
1 8.2

People stop using something because new things replace it

is used for disappearance without implying failure to adapt

Antonyms

to survive
∞ 2.7

Continue to exist after a dangerous or difficult event

to persist
  • Formal
18 5.2

To stay in a place for a long time

How Extinct

to go the way of the dodo
2 8.6
to decline
344 3.7
to persist
61 3.5

Surface Forms

go the way of the dodo infinitive
went the way of the dodo past
gone the way of the dodo past participle
going the way of the dodo present participle
goes the way of the dodo third person singular

Morphology

go + the + way + of + the + dodo

The phrase compares the fate of something to that of the extinct dodo, so a learner who knows 'go' (perish/stop existing), 'way' (manner/destiny) and 'dodo' (an extinct bird) can plausibly infer 'become extinct/cease to exist'. However, the construction is a conventional metaphorical idiom ('go the way of ...') rather than a fully literal composition, so the meaning is only partially predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The idiom go the way of the dodo comes from the real dodo, a slow island bird that people hunted until it died out. So when something has gone the way of the dodo it means it has 'disappeared' or stopped being used.