DEAD ENDS Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

dead-ends 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dead-end

as in ends

to come to an end after several fruitless years, the research seems to have simply dead-ended

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dead ends

2 of 2

noun

plural of dead end

as in secondary roads

Related Words

as in bottlenecks

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dead-ends

Verb

Boca Chica Beach is a free, undeveloped eight-mile stretch of Gulf shoreline near Brownsville—the southernmost city in Texas—where Highway 4 dead-ends at the water and SpaceX’s Starbase launch towers loom to the north. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 June 2026 The one road in—NW Torreya Park Road—dead-ends at the Gregory House. — Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026 That is one of many problems that Zara and Luke go on to dodge, including dead-ends, dead bodies and a drunken mom. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026 With three exposures on a block that dead-ends above the East River, the house is also filled with beautiful light. — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025 Doubles, glitches, erotic dread, narrative dead-ends. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead-ends

Verb

Over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that oil prices could fall to between $40 and $50 per barrel once the conflict in the Middle East ends.

— Rachel Barber, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Most of the genome is non-coding and contains a mix of things, including centromeres, which help ensure chromosomes are divided evenly between cells, and caps that protect the chromosome ends.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of ends

Noun

South Florida motorists routinely saw police officers hurtling along highways at extraordinary speeds without lights, sirens or any apparent emergency.

— Sally Kestin, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Just as interstate highways need to be wider and smoother than typical country roads, railroad tracks that handle faster trains require more robust engineering and safety features than those that handle slow-moving freight.

— Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of highways

Noun

That approach could help Covenant avoid some bottlenecks associated with specialized defense production.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Map discrete agents to your exact operational bottlenecks, whether that means site feasibility or document quality control.

— Anshima Raj, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of bottlenecks

Noun

However, the action may not end at 11pm — deal sheets allow clubs to conclude signings two hours after the transfer window closes, provided the correct paperwork is submitted before the deadline.

— Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
The drive-in closes for the season after Labor Day and usually reopens on Memorial Day.

— Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of closes

Noun

And what are the key selection dilemmas facing Arteta and counterpart (and boyhood team-mate) Xabi Alonso?

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of dilemmas

Verb

Boone’s Tyler Dicko halts a promising Jones drive with an interception near the 30 as Jones’ Peyton Carroll scrambled out of the pocket searching for a receiver.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
An Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami International Airport Sunday afternoon, causing a full ground stop that halts all flights.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of halts

Noun

Yemeni government forces have launched airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, several residents of Mokha said, and the Yemeni government military has urged civilians to avoid roads between Taiz and Mokha.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Now workers are crushing concrete and twisted metal into roads, shelter floors, and spaces for community kitchens.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of roads

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dead-ending

dead-ends

dead ends

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“Dead-ends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead-ends. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dead-ends

verb

noun

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