dead end

See synonyms for dead end on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.

  2. a position that offers no hope of progress; blind alley; cul-de-sac: His theory led him to a dead end.

Origin of dead end

1
First recorded in 1885–90

Other definitions for dead-end (2 of 2)

dead-end
[ ded-end ]

adjective
  1. terminating in a dead end: a dead-end street.

  2. Also dead-ended. having no possibility for or hope of progress, advancement, etc.: a low-level, dead-end job.

  1. leading a life in the slums: growing up as a tough dead-end kid.

verb (used without object)
  1. to come to a dead end: The road dead-ends at the lake.

Origin of dead-end

2
First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for dead end

dead end

noun
  1. another name for cul-de-sac

  2. a situation in which further progress is impossible

  1. dead-end (as modifier): a dead-end street; a dead-end job

verb
  1. (intr) mainly US and Canadian to come to a dead end

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with dead end

dead end

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.