gridlock

grid·lock

noun \-ˌläk\

Definition of GRIDLOCK

1

: a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible

2

: a situation resembling gridlock (as in congestion or lack of movement) <political gridlock>

— gridlock transitive verb

Examples of GRIDLOCK

1. An accident caused gridlock at rush hour yesterday.
2. We were caught in a gridlock.
3. Disagreements about funding have caused legislative gridlock in Congress.

First Known Use of GRIDLOCK

1980

Related to GRIDLOCK

Synonyms: deadlock, impasse, halt, logjam, Mexican standoff, stalemate, standoff, standstill

Related Words: dead end; bind, bottleneck, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, jam, morass, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, quagmire, quandary, spot; difficulty; problem

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Rhymes with GRIDLOCK

acock, ad hoc, air lock, alt-rock, amok, armlock, art-rock, backblock, ball cock, Balzac, bangkok, Bangkok, baroque, Bartók, bawcock, bedrock, bemock, bitstock, blackcock, blesbok, bloodstock, breechblock, burdock, buttstock, caprock, coldcock, crew sock, deadlock, defrock, dreadlock, dry dock, Dvořák, earlock, elflock, en bloc, epoch, fatstock, feedstock, fetlock, firelock, flintlock, forelock, foreshock, gamecock, gemsbok, half cock, hard rock, havelock, haycock, headlock, headstock, heart block, hemlock, in stock, Iraq, jazz-rock, Kanak, Kazak, Kazakh, kapok, kneesock, Ladakh, Laubach, livestock, lovelock, matchlock, Mohock, Moloch, nostoc, o'clock, oarlock, padlock, peacock, penstock, petcock, pibroch, picklock, post hoc, punk rock, rhebok, rimrock, roadblock, rootstock, Rostock, rowlock, scalp lock, Schirach, seed stock, shamrock, Sheetrock, shell shock, sherlock, Ship Rock, shock jock, shot clock, shylock, Sirach, slickrock, Slovak, smock frock, snatch block, soft rock, springbok, steenbok, stopcock, sunblock, swage block, ticktock, time clock, time lock, traprock, unblock, uncock, undock, van Gogh, wall rock, warlock, wedlock, wheel lock, whipstock, woodblock, woodcock, wristlock, zwieback