dead-end

1 of 3

adjective

ˈded-ˌend 

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

ˌded-ˈen-dəd-nəs 

noun

dead-end

2 of 3

verb

ˈded-ˈend 

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

ˈded-ˈend 

1

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

2

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

Synonyms of dead-end

Verb

• end
• stop
• halt
• conclude
• expire
• cease

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

Adjective

Fish ladders currently straddle each side of the dam, serving a step system for the salmon and trout to jump over the dam and reach the upstream water that hits a dead-end at the foot of Englebright Dam. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 19 Mar. 2026

Mutiny includes no college grads in dead-end jobs whose grievances have turned them toward MAGA rather than union activism—young men and women recruited by Turning Point USA while still in college. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

Verb

In physics, that almost always signifies a dead-end. —Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026

Pinell’s second film after Kiss and Cry, Shana stars her regular collaborator Éva Huault as a woman in her thirties navigating dead-end jobs, drug deals and an impossible relationship with a toxic thug, Moïse. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026

Noun

In the two years following, detectives chased a number of leads, but many of them resulted in dead ends, Miramar Police Chief Delrish Moss told the Sun Sentinel Tuesday. —Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026

In its blending of ’90s slowcore and post-rock, the Chicago quartet conjures an uneasy reprieve, casting resignation not as a dead end but an inevitable, enviable acceptance. —Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1940, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dead-end

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

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