grid·lock
ˈgrid-ˌläk 
1
: a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible
2
: a situation resembling gridlock (as in congestion or lack of movement)
political gridlock
gridlocked; gridlocking; gridlocks
: to cause to be in a state or situation in which movement or progress is stopped completely : to produce gridlock in or of
streets gridlocked by heavy traffic
a government gridlocked by partisan rancor
Neighbors of the proposed site near the intersection … told commissioners they were concerned the school would bring hundreds of additional cars to the area, further gridlocking already bumper-to-bumper traffic.—
Kyra Gurney
Kyra GurneyAlmost immediately, heavy rains had gridlocked the narrow supply trail from Siboney on the coast.—Michael Blow
Michael Blow
also
: to experience gridlock
This statement came while Congress gridlocked yet again on a campaign finance measure. —David Corn
David Corn Examples of gridlock in a Sentence
Noun
An accident caused gridlock at rush hour yesterday.
We were caught in a gridlock.
Disagreements about funding have caused legislative gridlock in Congress.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nancy Zamierowski, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Institutions that once amplified U.S. influence—including the UN, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank—have devolved into arenas of gridlock and anti-American posturing.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2025
Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
While the state Assembly derailed that initial plan, forfeiting the grant, the push for a practical remedy to gridlock never died.
—Dj Gribbin, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
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Noun
Yet, beneath the headlines of inflation, layoffs and political gridlock can lie a quieter, more intimate collapse: the unraveling of a sense of self.
—Nancy Zamierowski, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Institutions that once amplified U.S. influence—including the UN, the World Trade Organization, and the World Bank—have devolved into arenas of gridlock and anti-American posturing.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
Waiting until the last minute can lead to gridlock on the road for you and obstruct first responders trying to get to the active fire zone.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
While the state Assembly derailed that initial plan, forfeiting the grant, the push for a practical remedy to gridlock never died.
—Dj Gribbin, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gridlock. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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