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 Moon enters Sagittarius and your 10th House of Career, Reputation, and Authority, putting attention on your role, leadership, deadlines, or visibility. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026

Large projects consist of a spider’s web of deadlines, a mishmash of budgets, a cavalcade of different teams to organize and a litany of regulatory hurdles to clear. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Tensions escalated this week after the deadline for Washington and Tehran to negotiate a peace deal formally expired on Monday, despite relations having nosedived — and fighting restarted — weeks prior. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

An executive order signed the previous January had given every federal agency 12 months to revise its environmental procedures, and July 3 was the deadline. — Will Pattiz, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 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