as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
with the White House controlled by one party and Congress by the other, the nation experienced four years of legislative gridlock
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as in to fill
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Recent Examples of gridlock
David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Early data has indicated that gridlock has eased and foot traffic has increased in the zone since the tolls took effect.
—Winnie Hu, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Noun
The California event was compared to the Fyre Festival by attendees, who said they were stuck in gridlock for hours overnight without basic amenities.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Early data has indicated that gridlock has eased and foot traffic has increased in the zone since the tolls took effect.
—Winnie Hu, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
Their effort has been criticized as a road to gridlock while, in the aftermath instead, a summer of litigation and investigation of actions has played out.
—Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
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The Celtics outscored it 30-18 as the Magic’s offense ground to a halt.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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Vehicles on every road in Israel come to a halt and drivers emerge from their cars or trucks to stand at attention.—
Rabbi Steve Roth,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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His path has been long, filled with moments of uncertainty and sacrifice.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
24 Apr. 2025
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Wolves have filled humans with wonder throughout our history, and they have been featured in art and mythology for thousands of years.—
Olivia Ferrari,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The pair combined impeccably to break the deadlock last week, and the latter could make history by becoming the first Inter player to strike in five consecutive Champions League appearances.—
David Ferrini,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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The first of Rice’s heroic efforts came in the 58th minute, with the 26-year-old breaking the deadlock with a shot that whipped around the Real Madrid wall into the corner of the net.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The brash freshman who spent much of the season bragging to teammates about his power corked a bat to crush balls even farther.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
20 Aug. 2024
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Pair with a bottle of wine or corked beverage of choice for an even more elevated gift.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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If the impasse continues, Liverpool will have a big decision to make.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Here’s what to know about where U.S.-China trade talks stand and how experts characterize the impasse: What is the Trump administration saying about U.S.-China trade talks?—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes.—
Erica Gies,
Scientific American,
1 Dec. 2018
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All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2023
Noun
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For more than an hour on Saturday, Maresca’s team did not allow Everton to fight them to a standstill and, helped greatly by the return of Romeo Lavia, passed forward quickly whenever a chance to do so presented itself.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 🎧 Goods from China face tariffs of 145%, bringing trade between the world's two largest economies to a standstill, NPR's Scott Horsley tells Up First.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The grip also packs a 2,300 mAh battery inside to give the phone extra juice.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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At a court appearance on Saturday, Hamilton County sheriff's deputies packed the courtroom in support of the fallen deputy, according to ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO.—
Victoria Arancio,
ABC News,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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