gridlock

American  

[grid-lok] / ˈgrɪdˌlɒk /

noun

1. the stoppage of free vehicular movement in an urban area because key intersections are blocked by traffic.

2. the blocking of an intersection by vehicular traffic entering the intersection but unable to pass through it.

3. any situation in which nothing can move or proceed in any direction.

   a financial gridlock due to high interest rates.

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gridlock British  

/ ˈɡrɪdˌlɒk /

noun

1. obstruction of urban traffic caused by queues of vehicles forming across junctions and causing further queues to form in the intersecting streets

2. a point in a dispute at which no agreement can be reached; deadlock

   political gridlock

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verb

1. (tr) (of traffic) to block or obstruct (an area)

Other Word Forms

• gridlocked adjective

Etymology

Origin of gridlock

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80; grid + lock ¹

Explanation

Gridlock is what happens when there's so much traffic on a road or highway that it slows to a stop. If your bus gets stalled in gridlock on the way to school, you'll be late for first period. While gridlock is commonly used as a synonym for a traffic jam, strictly speaking the term is more specific. During gridlock, traffic is backed up in different directions, so that lines of cars block several intersecting streets. In the worst gridlock, vehicles in the grid of streets are unable to move forward or to back up. Drivers can avoid this kind of gridlock by waiting to enter the intersection until there's room to move all the way through it.

Example Sentences

“By distributing traffic amongst multiple locations rather than funneling it all into the central terminal area we can reduce gridlock, improve safety, and give passengers better options on how to get to LAX,” Reich said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

Gualtieri said the vast numbers created a "gridlock" caused by "the famous problem of overtourism".

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

Radio communications can be badly impacted with GPS systems lost or disrupted for many days - so your car sat-nav could stop working, creating gridlock in cities.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

In response, the European Union crafted a counterproposal more acceptable to Ukraine, and its member states are rushing to rearm as the bloc looks for ways to break its institutional gridlock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

The gridlock in the parking lot was so intractable that, even though the races ended at 6:30 P.M., it would be well into Sunday morning before everyone got out of the track.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• bottleneck
• congestion
• impasse
• logjam