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

An additional $20 million for body cameras was included in the bipartisan federal funding package that was approved by the Senate late last week ahead of a deadline to prevent a government shutdown. —Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026

The Bulls are expected to continue to seek youthful chips and assets leading up to Thursday’s deadline. —David Aldridge, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026

Taxpayers who need more time can request a six-month filing extension — but any taxes owed must still be paid by the April deadline to avoid penalties and interest. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026

The department only released a small subset of those files by that deadline. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deadline

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

Kids Definition

deadline

noun

dead·​line ˈded-ˌlīn 

: a date or time before which something must be done