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
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Recent Examples of deadlock
Taiwan’s leader, who is looking to pass a $40 billion special military budget, warned that a legislative deadlock over the funds could push Taipei down on the US’ priority list.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The elections were later postponed indefinitely amid political deadlock and security concerns.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Arsenal’s convincing 4-0 victory at Leeds had a familiar format on Saturday, breaking the deadlock with yet another set piece to take three crucial points back to north London.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The deadlock essentially kills the proposal because San Diego City Council policies stipulate that three votes from the five-member panel – the Rules Committee – are needed for a proposal to move forward.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The elections were later postponed indefinitely amid political deadlock and security concerns.
—Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Arsenal’s convincing 4-0 victory at Leeds had a familiar format on Saturday, breaking the deadlock with yet another set piece to take three crucial points back to north London.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The deadlock essentially kills the proposal because San Diego City Council policies stipulate that three votes from the five-member panel – the Rules Committee – are needed for a proposal to move forward.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadlock
Noun
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Traffic through the critical waterway has since ground to a near halt, with vessels being attacked and insurers dropping maritime coverage.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Tanker traffic has ground to a near halt, 20% of global supply has been paralyzed, and the old-world energy order has been shaken.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After bargaining talks toward a new contract had reached an impasse, the union voted in January to authorize a strike.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Anderson says the men have reached an impasse and is asking a judge to dissolve their business connections.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Fortunately, a stalemate was broken that same day, albeit a temporary one.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
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The same party won an election in February 2025 but could not muster a parliamentary majority, which led to a stalemate and snap vote in December.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadlock. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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