gridlock

[ grid-lok ]

noun

1. the stoppage of free vehicular movement in an urban area because key intersections are blocked by traffic.
2. the blocking of an intersection by vehicular traffic entering the intersection but unable to pass through it.
3. any situation in which nothing can move or proceed in any direction:

   a financial gridlock due to high interest rates.

gridlock

/ ˈɡrɪdˌlɒk /

noun

1. obstruction of urban traffic caused by queues of vehicles forming across junctions and causing further queues to form in the intersecting streets
2. a point in a dispute at which no agreement can be reached; deadlock

   political gridlock

verb

1. tr (of traffic) to block or obstruct (an area)

Other Word Forms

• gridlocked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gridlock¹

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80; grid + lock ¹

Example Sentences

By tactfully building connections before you make your move, you’ll ease your transition into a new field and avoid the career gridlock that often comes from trying to navigate change alone.

From Salon

Today’s congressional gridlock and partisanship make it rare for a bipartisan group of 60 senators to agree to anything, let alone a spending bill.

From Salon

I think that is the fundamental tension that has become almost insurmountable, and I think helps to explain the extreme gridlock that we've seen in Congress in recent years, and in policy-making more generally.

From Salon

When the 2017 Tubbs fire swept through Northern California’s wine country, officials in Sonoma and Napa counties decided not to send mass wireless alerts, fearing they would cause countywide gridlock and panic.

From Los Angeles Times

In an era of political polarization, Americans are hungry for pragmatic solutions that transcend partisan gridlock.

From Salon

Related Words

• bottleneck
• congestion
• impasse
• logjam