deadline
Americannoun
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the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something.
a five o'clock deadline.
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a line or limit that must not be passed.
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(formerly) a boundary around a military prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of being shot by the guards.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of deadline
Explanation
A deadline is a date or time when something must be finished. At work and school, most projects have deadlines. If you don’t get your paper in by the deadline, you won’t get a good grade. If you think missing a deadline and getting a low grade is bad, think about how this word came to be: It was a line that went around a prison and if a prisoner crossed it, he could be shot. Now that’s a deadline! A deadline sounds scary, and it does frighten a lot of people — if you don't get a paper in by the deadline, you could lose points or fail. But hey, you’ll live.
Vocabulary lists containing deadline
"LAFFF"
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Employment, List 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 15–April 21, 2023
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The regulator waived its deadline of July 30 for Amazon to launch half of its planned satellite constellation.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
There is no legal deadline for the EU's investigation to end.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
They said they also expect to have preliminary, internal results from the study in July and plan to give an update to the Louisiana court by the October deadline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
However, having initially held firm, as Isak trained away from the rest of his team-mates, the club ultimately buckled and sold the striker to Liverpool on deadline day.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
“Even if they were, hypothetically, a little unusual? And even if you hadn’t paid a fee and sent in a form by the deadline and didn’t have any money?”
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
