dead end

¹ American  

noun

1. something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.

2. a position that offers no hope of progress; blind alley; cul-de-sac.

   His theory led him to a dead end.

---

dead-end ² American  

[ded-end] / ˈdɛdˈɛnd /

adjective

1. terminating in a dead end.

   a dead-end street.

2. Also dead-ended. having no possibility for or hope of progress, advancement, etc..

   a low-level, dead-end job.

3. leading a life in the slums.

   growing up as a tough dead-end kid.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to come to a dead end.

   The road dead-ends at the lake.

dead end British  

noun

1. another name for cul-de-sac

2. a situation in which further progress is impossible

3.  dead-end.  ( as modifier )

   a dead-end street

   a dead-end job

---

verb

1. (intr) to come to a dead end

dead end Idioms  

1. A passage that has no exit, as in This street's a dead end, so turn back . [Late 1800s]

2. An impasse or blind alley, allowing no progress to be made. For example, This job is a dead end; I'll never be able to advance . [c. 1920]

---

Etymology

Origin of dead end¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of dead-end²

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

If Woodward and Bernstein can climb over every wall, turn over every stone and reroute themselves at every dead end, perhaps it’s not too late for some good, old-fashioned salvation.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

The remains of these invisible dead end up in Dolores Cemetery, Mexico's largest, situated in Chapultepec Forest.

From Barron's • Nov. 29, 2025

He has been telling anyone who asks that he thinks large language models, or LLMs, are a dead end in the pursuit of computers that can truly outthink humans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Sometimes, the best place you can go is a dead end.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025

‘We have come to a dead end, Sam,’ said Frodo.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• blocked
• closed