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

Phrases

on deadline or under deadline

: with the requirement of meeting a deadline

working 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

This is coming after the Diamondbacks traded away five players at the trade deadline, including Eugenio Suarez, who has smacked 45 home runs during this season. —Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

In traditional finance, timestamps define settlement windows, payment deadlines, and lien enforcement. —Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

But under Michigan law, lawmakers must send a budget to the governor's desk by July 1, a deadline lawmakers failed to meet this year. —Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025

The California Legislature up against its deadline to pass bills last Friday approved SB 63, which allows a ballot measure to move forward, ending a multiyear political debate over how to make up for pandemic revenue loss across systems like BART, Muni, and Caltrain — and who should pay for it. —Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

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