DEAD END Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

dead-end 1 of 2

verb

ˈded-ˈend

Definition of dead-end

as in to end

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dead end

2 of 2

noun

as in high road

Related Words

as in dilemma

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-end

Verb

So Help Me God’s songs unfurl across five, seven, and even eight minutes, speaking on the perils of not knowing oneself, feeling suffocated by a dead-end relationship, and coaxing out the will to do better. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 Time confetti is basically a dead-end street to burnout, Brown adds. — Parents, 13 June 2026

Noun

Even his surname—Davi—was a dead end, invented by the state to cut all ties. — Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026 In one rare path, where a lock operation hits a dead end and has to back out, the cleanup runs at the wrong moment and wipes the wrong task’s record. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dead-end

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead-end

Verb

Parker, who by this time had begun exhibiting erratic behavior because of his drug issues, never showed up at the club, ending Adams’ hopes of sharing the stage with one of his idols.

— Dan Kelly July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Under the new rules, California had to either levy a higher tax on commercial plans or end the taxes on the state plans and lose federal funding.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of end

Verb

The project has drawn fierce local opposition in the mostly agricultural communities south of San Jose where it will be built, and the agency has temporarily stopped construction on it in advance of a court hearing in September.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026
Three minutes later, Son put away a volley after Carles Gil stopped a ball at the end line and whipped a cross into the center of the box.

— Kamran Nia July 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

Definition of stop

Noun

The era of point solutions powered by AI is coming to a close.

— Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Senators could decide by the close of business on Friday whether to schedule a vote as early as next Tuesday, or else risk delaying Blanche’s nomination till after the August recess.

— Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026

Definition of close

Verb

Since then, three more Manhattan office conversion projects have been ordered to partially pause or halt construction this month over issues ranging from missing paperwork to cracks in concrete beams.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
The same day Hochul signed it, the White House issued an executive order seeking to halt state-level AI regulation in favor of a federal standard.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of halt

Noun

What’s different this time is getting to the Diner, as both Santa Monica Blvd (which the Diner faces) and Sunset Blvd are seeing extended road work – some of it due to a water main that burst on July 16.

— Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Two Boston city councilors are pushing for a change in city law that would require Mayor Michelle Wu to report street projects annually as Wu faces criticism for stalling road work before a city employee was killed by a truck.

— Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026

Definition of road

Browse Nearby Words

deaden

dead-end

dead end

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“Dead-end.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead-end. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dead-end

verb

noun

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