as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
the jury sent a note to the judge that it was hopelessly stuck in a deadlock
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Recent Examples of deadlock
After controlling possession for much of the opening moments, the home side broke the deadlock courtesy of midfielder Tumi Moshobane in the 16th minute.
—
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the twenty-one hours of negotiations ended in a deadlock, with the main sticking point being the extent to which Iran’s nuclear activity will be allowed to continue.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Geny Catamo came closest to breaking the deadlock towards the end of the first half, striking the post as the visitors edged the opening 45 minutes.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The result is a structural deadlock that has nothing to do with Iranian or American negotiating skill.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the twenty-one hours of negotiations ended in a deadlock, with the main sticking point being the extent to which Iran’s nuclear activity will be allowed to continue.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Geny Catamo came closest to breaking the deadlock towards the end of the first half, striking the post as the visitors edged the opening 45 minutes.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The result is a structural deadlock that has nothing to do with Iranian or American negotiating skill.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadlock
Noun
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Which is why Michael’s final cut screeches to a halt in 1988, just as the star has broken out from his family and reached a new zenith as a solo performer.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Covid pandemic brought production to a halt, and then the writers and actors guild strikes shut down production again for months in 2023.—
Julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That report goes to the school board, which then holds its own impasse hearing and makes a decision.—
Steven Walker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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Oil was again trading at over $100 a barrel Thursday as the impasse continued to disrupt shipping through the strait, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The plan, conveyed through mediators in Pakistan to break a stalemate with Washington, calls for extending the ceasefire so the parties can work toward a permanent end to the fighting, Axios said.—
Jon Herskovitz,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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Alex Bonetig’s goal more than five minutes into extra time made the difference for Portland (4-1-5), which threatened repeatedly late to break a 1-1 stalemate that lasted nearly the entire second half.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadlock. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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