deadlock
Other forms: deadlocks; deadlocking
Use the noun deadlock to describe a standstill, as when two people or sides cannot move beyond a disagreement.
Deadlock can also mean a game that results in an unbreakable tie or a stalemate, like when you are in a five-hour thumb-wrestling match with no winner. You can easily remember the meaning of this compound word, by thinking about its two word parts — dead + lock. The first appearance of deadlock was in The Critic, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan: “I have them all at a deadlock, for every one of them is afraid to let go first.”
-
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possiblesynonyms: dead end, impasse, stalemate, standstilltype of:situationa complex or critical or unusual difficulty
-
fail or cause to fail to progress because of disagreement between opposing sides
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing deadlock
In Ishiguro's chilling dystopian novel, three students at a secluded boarding school learn the truth about their identities and their futures.
The issues surrounding the Russian state and the area of Ukraine known as Crimea involve centuries of history and complex issues of sovereignty and self-determination. In an effort to untangle at least some of these issues, below are 60 vocabulary words drawn from Putin's speech of March 18, 2014. Whatever one thinks of Putin and his methods, and whether the situation in Ukraine is the beginning of something or the end, it is this speech that history will likely turn to to examine Putin's public persona at this time. The entire text of the speech can be found here The Prague Post, March 19, 2014.
When Melanie, April, and Marshall discover an abandoned yard, they think it's the perfect place to play games based on their shared love of ancient Egypt. But the children aren't prepared to deal with a creepy antiques dealer, mysterious oracles, and a shocking murder.