deadlock
Americannoun
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deadlocks
plural
-
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.
-
a maximum-security cell for the solitary confinement of a prisoner.
verb (used with or without object)
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deadlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
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deadlocked,
past participle, past
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deadlocking
present participle
noun
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a state of affairs in which further action between two opposing forces is impossible; stalemate
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a tie between opposite sides in a contest
-
a lock having a bolt that can be opened only with a key
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deadlocksimple
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deadlockssimple
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have deadlockedperfect
-
has deadlockedperfect
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am deadlockingprogressive
-
are deadlockingprogressive
-
is deadlockingprogressive
-
have been deadlockingperfect progressive
-
has been deadlockingperfect progressive
Past
-
deadlockedsimple
-
had deadlockedperfect
-
was deadlockingprogressive
-
were deadlockingprogressive
-
had been deadlockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deadlock
Explanation
Use the noun deadlock to describe a standstill, as when two people or sides cannot move beyond a disagreement. Deadlock can also mean a game that results in an unbreakable tie or a stalemate, like when you are in a five-hour thumb-wrestling match with no winner. You can easily remember the meaning of this compound word, by thinking about its two word parts — dead + lock. The first appearance of deadlock was in The Critic, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan: “I have them all at a deadlock, for every one of them is afraid to let go first.”
Vocabulary lists containing deadlock
Never Let Me Go
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Vocabulary from Vladimir Putin's Speech on Crimea
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The War to End All Wars
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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:
Gulf states are scrambling to come up with new formulas to break the diplomatic deadlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, flew to Tehran on Tuesday followed by a delegation of Qatari diplomats in an effort to break the deadlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"This deadlock is not new, and it risks costing us valuable time in our response to climate change," the French envoy said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
For the opening 10 minutes, the match followed the script of last year's World Cup final between the two sides, with Canada breaking the deadlock and England immediately hitting back.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“I must point out that the move I have taken provides you with the opportunity to overcome the current deadlock, and to normalize the country’s political situation. I hope you will seize it without delay.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
A hung jury would result in a mistrial, meaning prosecutors would face a decision on whether to retry any officers that the jury deadlocks on.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
Maryland lost its only games against Iowa and Rutgers, so those are deadlocks to be avoided.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2023
One reason our discovery is exciting is because it hints at ways to work through specific political deadlocks.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 1, 2023
Amid the deadlocks over the U.N. role in Ukraine, broader reform ideas have gained steam, including support for increasing the number of permanent Security Council members.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 6, 2022
The objects of our recent ardent longings reveal themselves, most luridly sometimes, as dangers, deadlocks, fetters, hopeless labyrinths, from which we have barely escaped.
From Limbo and Other Essays To which is now added Ariadne in Mantua by Vernon Lee
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday over deadlocked budget talks, but the monarch deferred his decision until after a new meeting Friday.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
The outlook for reviving the deadlocked talks remains bleak.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
The jury deadlocked on murder and attempted murder charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Jurors in Clancy's trial have been deadlocked for days, and have told the judge three times that they are unable to come to a unanimous decision.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
When darkness fell, the battle was already deadlocked.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Fifa needs to prevent something called deadlocking, which happens when it is no longer possible to complete the draw while following the regulations.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
The case ended embarrassingly for the Justice Department, with the jury deadlocking on five of the six felony counts and acquitting him on the last one.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2023
Jurors deliberated for several days, deadlocking more than once, prompting the judge to urge them to continue deliberating to reach a unanimous verdict.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
It fell one vote short, deadlocking at 7 to 7.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2022
My mother was asleep; she was as deadlocking as a red-gray old sea-elephant stretched on the shore of a summer day.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
