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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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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

Amazon Prime Day ends tonight, which means whatever has been sitting in your cart since Tuesday is only on sale for a few more hours.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026
Ahead, the handbags that caught our eye, and are worth catching on sale before October Prime Day ends tonight.

— Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of ends

Noun

In Chile in 2024, several hundred demonstrators burned tires and blocked coastal highways and railway tracks to protest the early closure of the fishing season, a move partly driven by overfishing tied to fishmeal.

— Ian Urbina, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
The red dye also allows a road inspector to detect whether a trucker is evading taxes by using the fuel on highways.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of highways

Verb

That could keep prices elevated long after the shooting stops.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
When a character stops acting on behalf of himself and instead makes a choice to act on behalf of the welfare of another person, the story suddenly evokes a sheaf of nobler feelings.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of stops

Noun

Big for Club name Nvidia, which has posted back-to-back record closes.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
How much of that reporting burden will reach portfolio companies remains unclear, but some of it likely will as PE sponsors seek standardized KPIs, faster financial closes, more granular operational metrics and clearer governance documentation.

— Nate Heeren, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of closes

Noun

But aspects such as strong characters, emotional investment, aspirational and authentic journeys, contemporary tensions, real moral dilemmas and complex relationships are what keep you there.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
More broadly, the premiere sets up a deepening of Common Side Effects’ many dilemmas.

— Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of dilemmas

Verb

This natural inversion destroys leadership, fractures relationships and halts self-improvement.

— Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of halts

Noun

As the hundreds of thousands of people made their way down the narrow roads following the politician, a few rerouted into the industry event, still carrying big flags and with faces lit up with hope.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
The landscape was inspired by the inland town of Ioulida, a hilltop village with cascading residential dwellings and winding paths (no car-worthy roads), and a church perched at the precipice.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of roads

Browse Nearby Words

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 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dead-ends

verb

noun

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