View synonyms for dead end

dead end

noun

something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.
a position that offers no hope of progress; blind alley; cul-de-sac.
His theory led him to a dead end.

dead-end

[ded-end]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

terminating in a dead end.
a dead-end street.
Also dead-ended. having no possibility for or hope of progress, advancement, etc..
a low-level, dead-end job.
leading a life in the slums.
growing up as a tough dead-end kid.

dead end

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First recorded in 1885–90

First recorded in 1885–90

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A passage that has no exit, as in This street's a dead end, so turn back . [Late 1800s]

An impasse or blind alley, allowing no progress to be made. For example, This job is a dead end; I'll never be able to advance . [c. 1920]

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Examples have not been reviewed.

She said it felt like "the blind leading the blind" with several doctors unable to advise her and she had reached a dead end.

From BBC

The home, on a dead end street west of the Rose Bowl, was significantly damaged, Derderian said, but neighboring properties were not harmed.

An elegiac hymn to the dead end of hometown life, the song captures Currie’s ability to wrap melancholy lyrics in a catchy melody.

"The current system gives the illusion of a feedback loop, but it's a dead end."

From BBC

When the tables are turned, is revenge itself a moral dead end?

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