death march
The term "death march" can refer to both historical forced marches with high mortality rates and modern project management scenarios involving unsustainable workloads.
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Definition
C1History
(technical, historical)A forced march of captives under extreme conditions, often resulting in numerous deaths.
Example
- During World War II, many prisoners of war were subjected to death marches by their captors.
- The survivors of the death march recounted harrowing tales of endurance and loss.
C1Project Management
(informal, business)A project that demands unsustainable overwork and is often seen as doomed to fail.
Example
- The team felt demoralized as the project turned into a death march with no end in sight.
- Despite knowing the project was a death march, they continued due to management pressure.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "death march":