deadline
Americannoun
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the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something.
a five o'clock deadline.
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a line or limit that must not be passed.
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(formerly) a boundary around a military prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of being shot by the guards.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of deadline
Explanation
A deadline is a date or time when something must be finished. At work and school, most projects have deadlines. If you don’t get your paper in by the deadline, you won’t get a good grade. If you think missing a deadline and getting a low grade is bad, think about how this word came to be: It was a line that went around a prison and if a prisoner crossed it, he could be shot. Now that’s a deadline! A deadline sounds scary, and it does frighten a lot of people — if you don't get a paper in by the deadline, you could lose points or fail. But hey, you’ll live.
Vocabulary lists containing deadline
"LAFFF"
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Employment, List 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 15–April 21, 2023
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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:
“I really don’t. We expect him to be pitching. ... So I don’t think that our approach to the deadline has changed given these last three weeks with Shohei.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Laura is the recipient of the Gerald Loeb award for deadline reporting and the New York Women in Communications, Inc. Matrix Award in the newspaper category, honoring her achievements in journalism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
With the deadline approaching, Lineage as of Friday had removed 1,395 truck loads — an estimated 6,399 tons — of waste from the warehouse, according to an online tracker from the company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The FDA did not return the BBC's request for comment before deadline.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Although I was intimidated, I called “next” because I knew my deadline for going back to the house was quickly approaching.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Alan Scott, Legacy Effects’ co-founder, said 3-D printing has become central to the company’s survival in an industry where budgets are tighter and deadlines are shorter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
We have to say no a hundred times a day and still keep people motivated on weekly deadlines.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
One marker, who spoke to the BBC via Your Voice in June and asked not to be named, said internal deadlines had consistently been pushed back.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Set your “soft” off day up for success by making sure any deadlines, presentations or important meetings are scheduled during your “fully on” days.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It wasn’t like they had us doing important work, or that we had deadlines to meet.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
