cul-de-sac

American  

[kuhl-duh-sak, -sak, kool-, kyd^uh-sak] / ˈkʌl dəˈsæk, -ˌsæk, ˈkʊl-, küdəˈsak /

noun

plural

culs-de-sac

1. a street, lane, etc., closed at one end; blind alley; dead-end street.

2. any situation in which further progress is impossible.

3. the hemming in of a military force on all sides except behind.

4. Anatomy. a saclike cavity, tube, or the like, open only at one end, as the cecum.

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cul-de-sac British  

/ ˈkʌldəˌsæk, ˈkʊl- /

noun

1. a road with one end blocked off; dead end

2. an inescapable position

3. any tube-shaped bodily cavity or pouch closed at one end, such as the caecum

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Etymology

Origin of cul-de-sac

1730–40; < French: literally, bottom of the sack

Example Sentences

Many end up churning through jobs or finding themselves stuck in a career cul-de-sac.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Engineer Edward Rincon, who had been on Engine 23 retrieving hoses the day before, pulled up to the same cul-de-sac.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

The property is also located at the end of a cul-de-sac, ensuring ample privacy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

When I was in kindergarten, my family moved to a little cul-de-sac outside Atlanta.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026

Gayle Street, a cul-de-sac not far from the Buckroe section of town, was an attractive new neighborhood where Chubby Peddrew and her husband bought a house.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly