deadlock

[ ded-lok ]
See synonyms for: deadlockdeadlockeddeadlocking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.

  1. a maximum-security cell for the solitary confinement of a prisoner.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to bring or come to a deadlock.

Origin of deadlock

1
First recorded in 1770–80; dead + lock1

Other words for deadlock

Other words from deadlock

  • un·dead·locked, adjective

Words Nearby deadlock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deadlock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deadlock

deadlock

/ (ˈdɛdˌlɒk) /


noun
  1. a state of affairs in which further action between two opposing forces is impossible; stalemate

  2. a tie between opposite sides in a contest

  1. a lock having a bolt that can be opened only with a key

verb
  1. to bring or come to a deadlock

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