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

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

Get a Taste of South Africa at Bush Farmhouse Two minutes away on a dead-end street is Bush Farmhouse. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025

But the incremental benefits could be misleadingly tying us to a road that leads to a dead-end. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Verb

What looks like dead-end research today could become a building block for tomorrow’s cure. —Roomy Khan, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Hilland was working on a dead-end cold case that stretched back to the 70s involving a man, John Smith, whose two wives went mysteriously missing. —Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

Noun

Turning to peace is, for many within its leadership, less a sudden conversion than a recognition that the military path had reached a dead end. —Alpaslan Ozerdem, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025

But after reaching a dead end on a case that consumed his life, a skeptical Hilland turned to psychic medium John Edward. —Forbestv, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

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

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