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• dead end
  dead end

  noun

  something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.
• dead-end
  dead-end

  adjective

  terminating in a dead end.

dead end

¹ American  

noun

dead ends plural

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.

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dead-end ² American  

[ded-end] / ˈdɛdˈɛnd /

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.

3. leading a life in the slums.

   growing up as a tough dead-end kid.

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verb (used without object)

dead-ends, present (3rd person singular) dead-ended, past participle, past dead-ending present participle

1. to come to a dead end.

   The road dead-ends at the lake.

dead end British  

noun

1. another name for cul-de-sac

2. a situation in which further progress is impossible

3.  dead-end.  ( as modifier )

   a dead-end street

   a dead-end job

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verb

1. (intr) to come to a dead end

dead end Idioms  

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

2. 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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dead ends
  plural

Participles

• dead-ending
  present
• dead-ended
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dead-end
  simple
• dead-ends
  simple
• have dead-ended
  perfect
• has dead-ended
  perfect
• am dead-ending
  progressive
• are dead-ending
  progressive
• is dead-ending
  progressive
• have been dead-ending
  perfect progressive
• has been dead-ending
  perfect progressive

Past

• dead-ended
  simple
• had dead-ended
  perfect
• was dead-ending
  progressive
• were dead-ending
  progressive
• had been dead-ending
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dead-end
  simple
• will have dead-ended
  perfect
• will be dead-ending
  progressive
• will have been dead-ending
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dead end¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of dead-end²

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

In Musk’s younger days, these expensive endeavors were nearly impossible to fund because the idea of taking on entrenched industries was a dead end for so many investors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

"The divers, unable to find the exit corridor, found themselves in a corridor to the left of what would have been the exit, which, however, was a dead end," she said.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Owners Jingye seemed reluctant to ensure continued operations, and negotiations with the Chinese company to invest in new operations alongside government support hit a dead end.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

The fact that Vance and his team weren’t ready even to stay over one night suggests either that they were very naive or that they knew the trip was a dead end.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Our plan was to ask the Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider its decision, and if that turned out to be a dead end, we would seek review in the Alabama Supreme Court.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• blocked
• closed