cul-de-sac

[ kuhl-duh-sak, -sak, kool-; French kyduh-sak ]

noun

, plural culs-de-sac [kuhlz, -d, uh, -, sak, -sak, koolz, -, k, y, d, uh, -, sak].

1. a street, lane, etc., closed at one end; blind alley; dead-end street.
2. any situation in which further progress is impossible.
3. the hemming in of a military force on all sides except behind.
4. Anatomy. a saclike cavity, tube, or the like, open only at one end, as the cecum.

cul-de-sac

/ ˈkʌldəˌsæk; ˈkʊl- /

noun

1. a road with one end blocked off; dead end
2. an inescapable position
3. any tube-shaped bodily cavity or pouch closed at one end, such as the caecum

Word History and Origins

Origin of cul-de-sac¹

1730–40; < French: literally, bottom of the sack

Word History and Origins

Origin of cul-de-sac¹

C18: from French, literally: bottom of the bag

Example Sentences

When news a rare American songbird had been spotted in a sleepy West Yorkshire cul-de-sac eager ornithologists converged on the quiet street faster than a falcon in free fall.

From BBC

Crowds of birdwatchers flocked to a quiet cul-de-sac after a rare sighting of a species perched on a garden washing line.

From BBC

Outside, there was little traffic in the cul-de-sac, meaning the boys could run around carefree with little perceptible danger.

From BBC

“We need to act like it. We need to be seen once again as an innovative, future-focused, world-class community that is leading the way, always moving forward, not stuck at the end of a cul-de-sac wondering why we hit a dead end.”

From Los Angeles Times

When the man ran off, Razaq pursued him in an Audi along with other accomplices and drove into his victim again when they caught up with him in a nearby cul-de-sac.

From BBC