gridlock

[grid-lok]

See more synonyms for gridlock on Thesaurus.com

noun

the stoppage of free vehicular movement in an urban area because key intersections are blocked by traffic.
the blocking of an intersection by vehicular traffic entering the intersection but unable to pass through it.
any situation in which nothing can move or proceed in any direction: a financial gridlock due to high interest rates.

Origin of gridlock

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80; grid + lock¹

Related formsgrid·locked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gridlock

impasse, bottleneck, congestion, logjam, blockage, stoppage, clog, obstacle, barrier

Examples from the Web for gridlock

Contemporary Examples of gridlock

Such admiration for the American system sounds strange in this era of gridlock and bickering.
Communism's Victims Deserve a Museum
James Kirchick
August 25, 2014
Yes, gridlock frustration and national debt nausea are understandable.
Flushing Money Down the Tea Party Toilet
Tom Dougherty
August 19, 2014
So today, gridlock in Washington simply mirrors who we are and where America is.
Four Decades of Declining Trust in D.C.
Lloyd Green
August 11, 2014
Now cities are largely on their own, as austerity and gridlock grip Washington.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?
David Freedlander
June 22, 2014
The shock will soon congeal into fear-fueled groupthink and gridlock.
Tea Party Cannibalizes Cantor
John Avlon
June 11, 2014

British Dictionary definitions for gridlock

gridlock

noun

obstruction of urban traffic caused by queues of vehicles forming across junctions and causing further queues to form in the intersecting streets
a point in a dispute at which no agreement can be reached; deadlockpolitical gridlock

verb

(tr) (of traffic) to block or obstruct (an area)

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

Word Origin and History for gridlock

1980 (n.); 1987 (v.); from grid + lock. Related: Gridlocked; gridlocking.