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Synonyms

deadline

American  
[ded-lahyn] / ˈdɛdˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something.

    a five o'clock deadline.

  2. a line or limit that must not be passed.

  3. (formerly) a boundary around a military prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of being shot by the guards.

deadline British  
/ ˈdɛdˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. a time limit for any activity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • postdeadline adjective

Etymology

Origin of deadline

First recorded in 1855–60; dead + line 1

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.