gridlocked

adjective

grid·​locked ˈgrid-ˌläkt 

: affected by gridlock : brought to a state in which movement or progress is stopped completely

gridlocked streets

a gridlocked legislature

The Phoenix of 1996 has terrible air, gridlocked traffic, and spreads out in so many directions that it seems to lack any sense of order.

—Timothy Egan

… the notion of an incompetent, gridlocked government is still embedded in the national consciousness.

—Andrew Sullivan

Examples of gridlocked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite gridlocked traffic near the first two closure scenes in southwest Atlanta and some miscommunication and misdirection with trucks using side streets, Atlanta has braced itself handily so far. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 July 2026

However, by the end of the night, the streets surrounding the Presidio and Marina neighborhoods became gridlocked as thousands of commuters attempted to leave the area, resulting in hours-long waits. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Others noted the bus drivers took alternate routes to try and beat the gridlocked traffic that plagued other buses on I-70. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026

Getty/iStockphoto The strait is, just like the gridlocked Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global energy supplies in the Middle East, and the Houthis have attacked ships in the region before. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gridlocked

• overstocked
• balked
• blocked
• chalked
• clocked
• cocked
• docked
• flocked
• hawked
• knocked
• locked
• mocked