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

Residents in Massachusetts face a Wednesday deadline to register their firearms with the state. — Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

The law would take effect seven days after the petition deadline passes or if a petition is denied, according to McKenna Raney, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Noah Siviglia, an engineer coordinating the work, asked employees to help identify project costs and completion dates, noting that the information did not need to be overly precise because of the tight deadline. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Experts believe the nation will more than likely hit or exceed that deadline. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 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