dead-end

adjective

\ ˈded-ˌend

Definition of dead-end

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : lacking opportunities especially for advancement a dead-end job

b : lacking an exit a dead-end street

2 : unruly dead-end kids

dead-end

verb

\ ˈded-ˈend

dead-ended; dead-ending; dead-ends

Definition of dead-end (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

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

dead end

noun

\ ˈded-ˈend

Definition of dead end (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : an end (as of a street) without an exit

2 : a position, situation, or course of action that leads to nothing further

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Examples of dead-end in a Sentence

Noun

We came to a dead end and had to turn around. My career has hit a dead end.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Bank loans turned out to be another dead end: The Pines had no collateral and was still only about half-occupied. — Dan Frosch, WSJ, "The Year Hurricane Harvey Swamped a Neighborhood—and Split a Friendship," 16 Aug. 2018 In another instance, a Rakhine student leader said that many of his fellow students are connected online with Arakan Army soldiers and are considering joining up, feeling that politics is a dead end. — Jon Emont, WSJ, "Feuding Monks Expose Bitter Ethnic Buddhist Divisions in Myanmar," 9 Feb. 2019 But these are the same critics who have coaxed Mr. Trump to crash into one immigration dead end after another. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Declaring Border Victory," 12 Feb. 2019 This technique had been shown to work with laboratory rats in Air Force experiments, but ultimately the research hit a dead end. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "The Long, Weird History of Strobe Weapons," 11 Feb. 2019 After all, every previous media-hair-on-fire moment has come to a forgettable dead end. — Margaret Hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Can You Spot All the Errors in Trump’s ‘Consensual Presidency’ Tweet?," 7 Jan. 2018 Experts have pointed to the lack of town planning in the worst affected area of the seaside resort of Mati as a contributing factor, with narrow streets, numerous dead ends and no clear way to get to the sea. — Fox News, "Greece's PM promises full investigation of deadly fire," 7 Aug. 2018 Another letter came from a man in Europe who had emigrated seven years ago because Brazil was a dead end. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "Brazil’s Primal Scream," 6 Jan. 2019 Your hair won't be weighed down by dead ends and the results will leave you with flowing locks. — Jillian Ruffo, Seventeen, "8 Insanely Easy Tips For The Softest Hair Of Your Life," 28 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dead-end.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.