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-end¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Investigators have gone down some dead ends, including authorities quickly taking into custody a “person of interest” who was later cleared and released.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kennedy, an attorney who has no medical or scientific training, has called research into autism’s genetics a “dead end.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Barron's

It looks like a dead end at first glance.

From Literature

Fighting back tears of frustration, Teller hit one dead end after another.

From Literature

Related Words

• blocked
• closed