Synonyms of deadlock

deadlock

noun

ˈded-ˌläk 

as in halt

a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in

the jury sent a note to the judge that it was hopelessly stuck in a deadlock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• halt
• impasse
• stalemate
• gridlock
• standstill
• standoff
• jam
• logjam
• predicament
• dilemma
• Mexican standoff
• problem
• bottleneck
• bind
• pickle
• quandary
• plight
• hole
• dead end
• quagmire
• corner
• morass
• fix
• difficulty
• pinch
• spot

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deadlock

Such victories accustomed many Americans to imagining that their skilled leaders could break seemingly intractable political deadlocks in decisive ways. — Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2026

The center-right, francophone Mouvement Réformateur (MR) party now leads the seven-party coalition government, after over 600 days spent in deadlock without a government. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Eleven of 12 jurors were ready to clear Clancy of criminal responsibility last Friday, but their deadlock forced the judge to declare a mistrial, leaving the case unresolved. — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

The Fire is on a six-game unbeaten run in league play and heads into Wednesday’s game after three consecutive draws, most recently a 4-4 deadlock with Toronto FC. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026