deadline

noun

dead·​line ˈded-ˌlīn 

1

: a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot

2

a

: a date or time before which something must be done

b

: the time after which copy is not accepted for a particular issue of a publication

see also:

on deadline

Examples of deadline in a Sentence

She worked on her composition right up until the deadline.

We had to hurry to meet the deadline.

The project was completed a week past its deadline.

The deadline for submitting college applications is April 19th.

They're working under a deadline.

Recent Examples on the Web

The ceasefire quickly unraveled, and the 60-day deadline passed last month with no breakthroughs. — Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026

The Guardians tried to bolster the club with the trade-deadline acquisitions of outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, left-hander Foster Griffin and right-hander Craig Yoho. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Ward, who has struggled since joining the Mariners from Baltimore at the trade deadline, drove in Cole Young and Michael Arroyo with his hit off Angels lefty Mitch Farris (1-4). — Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

When the deadline approaches, vendors inevitably scramble to create standard operating procedures, architectural diagrams and runbooks. — Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deadline

• on deadline
• under deadline

Rhymes for deadline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

deadline

noun

dead·​line ˈded-ˌlīn 

: a date or time before which something must be done