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gridlock

[ grid-lok ]
/ ˈgrɪdˌlɒk /
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See synonyms for: gridlock / gridlocked 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.
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Origin of gridlock

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

OTHER WORDS FROM gridlock

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

How to use gridlock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gridlock

gridlock
/ (ˈɡrɪdˌlɒk) mainly US /

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
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