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.
At Joon Um’s tax and accounting firm, new clients are told to finish their paperwork by March 1, or his team may be too busy to make the April 15 deadline.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Schuss was created on an overnight deadline for the 1968 winter games in Grenoble, France.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 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
The decision of Raman, an urban planner, to enter the mayoral race was something of a surprise - just before the filing deadline and shortly after she had already endorsed Bass.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
“Your deadline with the Council of Cloven Elders.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
