dead-end

1 of 3

adjective

1
a
: lacking opportunities especially for advancement
a dead-end job
b
: lacking an exit
a dead-end street
2
: unruly
dead-end kids
dead-endedness noun

dead-end

2 of 3

verb

dead-ended; dead-ending; dead-ends

intransitive verb

: to come to a dead end : terminate
the road dead-ends at the lake
the investigation dead-ended

dead end

3 of 3

noun

1
: an end (as of a street) without an exit
2
: a position, situation, or course of action that leads to nothing further

Examples of dead-end in a Sentence

Verb after several fruitless years, the research seems to have simply dead-ended Noun We came to a dead end and had to turn around. My career has hit a dead end.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
No more dead-end land deals, blighted parcels or families ditching the city. Alicia Pederson, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025 Nestled at the end of a long dead-end drive and surrounded by Napeague State Park, the 1,400-square-foot house recalls a Hamptons of years past—the one populated by the likes of Norman Jaffe and Jackson Pollock—with the beach a short walk away. Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 15 May 2025
Verb
Where any normal car would need a three-point turn (down yet another dead-end Camden side street, for instance), the taxi simply spins around and goes. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2023 Commissioner Andrew Brink said without a street connection to the east, the roundabout effectively will dead-end within the development. Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2023
Noun
Facing this dead end, the scientists realized ancient poems could come in handy. Marlowe Starling, CNN Money, 14 May 2025 Sooner or later, the official went on, that may lead Trump and Putin into a more sweeping, and strategic, dead end. Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dead-end

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dead-end was in 1886

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dead-end.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead-end. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

dead-end

1 of 2 adjective
ˌded-ˌend
1
a
: having no opportunities for advancement
a dead-end job
b
: lacking an exit
dead-end street
2
: unruly
dead-end kids

dead end

2 of 2 noun
: an end (as of a street) without an exit

More from Merriam-Webster on dead-end

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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