deadlock
Americannoun
-
deadlocks
plural
-
a state in which progress is impossible, as in a dispute, produced by the counteraction of opposing forces; standstill; stalemate.
The union and management reached a deadlock over fringe benefits.
-
a maximum-security cell for the solitary confinement of a prisoner.
verb (used with or without object)
-
deadlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deadlocked,
past participle, past
-
deadlocking
present participle
noun
-
a state of affairs in which further action between two opposing forces is impossible; stalemate
-
a tie between opposite sides in a contest
-
a lock having a bolt that can be opened only with a key
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deadlocksimple
-
deadlockssimple
-
have deadlockedperfect
-
has deadlockedperfect
-
am deadlockingprogressive
-
are deadlockingprogressive
-
is deadlockingprogressive
-
have been deadlockingperfect progressive
-
has been deadlockingperfect progressive
Past
-
deadlockedsimple
-
had deadlockedperfect
-
was deadlockingprogressive
-
were deadlockingprogressive
-
had been deadlockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deadlock
Explanation
Use the noun deadlock to describe a standstill, as when two people or sides cannot move beyond a disagreement. Deadlock can also mean a game that results in an unbreakable tie or a stalemate, like when you are in a five-hour thumb-wrestling match with no winner. You can easily remember the meaning of this compound word, by thinking about its two word parts — dead + lock. The first appearance of deadlock was in The Critic, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan: “I have them all at a deadlock, for every one of them is afraid to let go first.”
Vocabulary lists containing deadlock
Never Let Me Go
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from Vladimir Putin's Speech on Crimea
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Egypt Game
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The exchanges of fire, which began with US raids last week, come amid a deadlock in the six-month conflict.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant will hold talks with Northern Ireland's political parties later on Monday in a bid to break the deadlock on the budget.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
On Friday, the judge in the Lindsay Clancy case declared a mistrial after a week of jury deadlock.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Chandrasekaran resigned amid a deadlock over his reappointment and a widening rift with Tata Trusts - the charity arm which owns controlling shares of the unlisted commercial holding company.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
As the battle turned into a deadlock, it became clear that although the French ships outnumbered the English, some two hundred vessels to eighty, the English had a huge advantage.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
If the jury deadlocks after several days of deliberations and are unable to reach a unanimous verdict, the judge may declare a mistrial.
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
And the agency’s board itself often deadlocks on matters of campaign finance enforcement.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
One reason our discovery is exciting is because it hints at ways to work through specific political deadlocks.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 1, 2023
If the board of canvassers — two Democrats and two Republicans — deadlocks at its meeting on Aug. 31, the next step will be the courts.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
Another plan, which evades the pressure of local interests while allowing district representation, also avoids the friction and deadlocks which result from government by a group of representatives of sharply opposed parties or principles.
From Problems of Conduct by Durant Drake
The judge declared a mistrial after a Massachusetts jury deadlocked after seven days of deliberations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
At this writing, the jury does not appear close to a verdict in the Clancy case, and may well be deadlocked.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Jurors in the trial of Lindsay Clancy are deadlocked after three days of deliberations, but a judge has asked them to keep trying.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
After a three-week trial in June, the jury in Los Angeles deliberated for two days before declaring itself deadlocked on the original charges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
For a moment his impulses were deadlocked; he did not know if he should pick up his cap and then find the paper, or find the paper and then pick up his cap.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
A previous trial against Atkins earlier this year ended with jurors acquitting him of first-degree murder and deadlocking on a second-degree murder charge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Fifa needs to prevent something called deadlocking, which happens when it is no longer possible to complete the draw while following the regulations.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Jurors deliberated for several days, deadlocking more than once, prompting the judge to urge them to continue deliberating to reach a unanimous verdict.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
The jury wound up acquitting the men of many charges and deadlocking on the murder charge, leading to a mistrial.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 21, 2019
My mother was asleep; she was as deadlocking as a red-gray old sea-elephant stretched on the shore of a summer day.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
