gridlock

American  

[grid-lok] / ˈgrɪdˌlɒk /

noun

1. the stoppage of free vehicular movement in an urban area because key intersections are blocked by traffic.

2. the blocking of an intersection by vehicular traffic entering the intersection but unable to pass through it.

3. any situation in which nothing can move or proceed in any direction.

   a financial gridlock due to high interest rates.

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gridlock British  

/ ˈɡrɪdˌlɒk /

noun

1. obstruction of urban traffic caused by queues of vehicles forming across junctions and causing further queues to form in the intersecting streets

2. a point in a dispute at which no agreement can be reached; deadlock

   political gridlock

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gridlocked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gridlock

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80; grid + lock ¹

Explanation

Gridlock is what happens when there's so much traffic on a road or highway that it slows to a stop. If your bus gets stalled in gridlock on the way to school, you'll be late for first period. While gridlock is commonly used as a synonym for a traffic jam, strictly speaking the term is more specific. During gridlock, traffic is backed up in different directions, so that lines of cars block several intersecting streets. In the worst gridlock, vehicles in the grid of streets are unable to move forward or to back up. Drivers can avoid this kind of gridlock by waiting to enter the intersection until there's room to move all the way through it.

Example Sentences

Gridlock, she observes, negatively affects legislative efforts to prevent economic crisis, which lowers expected returns and discourages corporate investment.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025

Gridlock persists in Hollywood between actors and major studios, while hospitality workers in Las Vegas, Detroit, Southern California and beyond are fighting for better pay and protections.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Gridlock hit the streets of Ahmedabad 24 hours before the match began.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2023

Jill Lawrence is an opinion writer and the author of "The Art of the Political Deal: How Congress Beat the Odds and Broke Through Gridlock."

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2023

Gridlock generated road rage as world leaders and their cohorts of diplomats traveling in heavily policed caravans began taking over downtown L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2022

Related Words

• bottleneck
• congestion
• impasse
• logjam