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

Made on a shoestring budget and expanded from a student film, director John Carpenter‘s feature debut imagines space travel as something closer to a dead-end job. —Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026

At the back edge of a backyard, in a dead-end South Florida canal, Arthur Tiedeman is drilling holes into the face of a seawall his marine construction company recently installed. —Nathan Rott, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026

Noun

Virtual reality was a dead end for Meta, but not because Zuckerberg’s vision of the future is wrong. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Taylor said the other ideas are dead ends, as well. —Lautaro Grinspan, AJC.com, 18 Mar. 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