as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
with the White House controlled by one party and Congress by the other, the nation experienced four years of legislative gridlock
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as in to fill
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Recent Examples of gridlock
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
The new ramp will not only help ease gridlock, but also foster future growth in the western parts of Broward County, officials say.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Noun
With the ability to produce content cheaply and distribute it directly to audiences, Barrett and company have an aversion to Hollywood gridlock.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
The new ramp will not only help ease gridlock, but also foster future growth in the western parts of Broward County, officials say.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
Their effort has been criticized as a road to gridlock while, in the aftermath instead, a summer of litigation and investigation of actions has played out.
—Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
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The Celtics outscored it 30-18 as the Magic’s offense ground to a halt.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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President Donald Trump has so far not homed in on North Korea talks, prioritizing a ceasefire in the Middle East, a deal to bring fighting in Ukraine to a halt, and a nuclear agreement with Iran.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Wolves have filled humans with wonder throughout our history, and they have been featured in art and mythology for thousands of years.—
Olivia Ferrari,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
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The seaside streets are filled with great shopping, dining, and architecture just waiting to be discovered.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The deadlock spares Nichols, again, from a death sentence.—
Todd Pendleton,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Davison broke that deadlock with a tough driving layup.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The brash freshman who spent much of the season bragging to teammates about his power corked a bat to crush balls even farther.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
20 Aug. 2024
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Pair with a bottle of wine or corked beverage of choice for an even more elevated gift.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Key members of Mayor Adams’ staff, including Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry, ultimately helped finalize the deal after union leaders and the city’s Office of Labor Relations reached an impasse over pay and demands that sergeants start working 12-hour tours.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2025
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To break the impasse, the Speaker floated creating a conference committee with the Senate to hash out their differences, or adding an amendment to the budget resolution — two ideas that would throw a wrench into GOP leadership’s ambitious timeline to get a package to Trump’s desk.—
Mychael Schnell,
The Hill,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes.—
Erica Gies,
Scientific American,
1 Dec. 2018
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All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2023
Noun
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For more than an hour on Saturday, Maresca’s team did not allow Everton to fight them to a standstill and, helped greatly by the return of Romeo Lavia, passed forward quickly whenever a chance to do so presented itself.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 🎧 Goods from China face tariffs of 145%, bringing trade between the world's two largest economies to a standstill, NPR's Scott Horsley tells Up First.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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About 300 people packed U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs’ townhall this week in El Cajon, many looking for answers and reassurance from the Democratic congresswoman about how to push back against President Trump’s agenda.—
Kristen Taketa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2025
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In total, your cereal dinner should pack around 30 grams of protein and enough fiber to reach your 25-to-35-gram-per-day goal, according to Van Eck.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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