dead-end

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

Synonyms of dead-end

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

Examples of dead-end in a Sentence

after several fruitless years, the research seems to have simply dead-ended

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2003, the eccentric financier reported to police that thousands of dollars in cash and a gun were stolen from his mansion on El Brillo Way, a dead-end street that ended on the Intracoastal Waterway. —Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026

But there's a difference between dead-end conflict and good conflict. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Maps show the home is in a sparsely populated area on a dead-end road. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 June 2026

Weihl is dealing with heady concepts here, and at this crucial point—the project’s de facto mission statement—they’re too unwieldy, pushing her down cryptic dead-end roads. —Raphael Helfand, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

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