51Թ

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View synonyms for

dead end

1

noun

  1. something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.

  2. a position that offers no hope of progress; blind alley; cul-de-sac.

    His theory led him to a dead end.



dead-end

2

[ded-end]

adjective

  1. terminating in a dead end.

    a dead-end street.

  2. Also dead-ended. having no possibility for or hope of progress, advancement, etc..

    a low-level, dead-end job.

  3. leading a life in the slums.

    growing up as a tough dead-end kid.

verb (used without object)

  1. to come to a dead end.

    The road dead-ends at the lake.

dead end

noun

  1. another name for cul-de-sac

  2. a situation in which further progress is impossible

  3. dead-end.( as modifier )

    a dead-end street

    a dead-end job

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to come to a dead end

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of dead end1

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of dead end2

First recorded in 1885–90
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Idioms and Phrases

A passage that has no exit, as in This street's a dead end, so turn back . [Late 1800s]

An impasse or blind alley, allowing no progress to be made. For example, This job is a dead end; I'll never be able to advance . [c. 1920]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Meanwhile, political opponents who claim net zero is an expensive dead end are only too ready to pounce.

From

We’re in a writers’ room, we go down this path, it hits a dead end, we go down this path, that seems to branch out into something.

From

"The idea is completely infeasible, a dead end. For decades, Indian maps have shown the entire territory of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India," Sumantra Bose told the BBC.

From

She’s lived the story of women in the entertainment business, too, and knows how quickly people who don’t foster the right talent slam into a dead end.

From

Shannon laudably offers no easy solutions, although his sincerely crafted dead end feels insufficient in its own way.

From

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