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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to fill
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gridlock
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
Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
This suggests that Congress — already plagued by severe partisan gridlock — could face even greater degrees of paralysis.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Noun
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
Verb
The government shutdown entered its second week on Monday as a solution to Washington’s gridlock over the federal budget continues to elude lawmakers.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
This suggests that Congress — already plagued by severe partisan gridlock — could face even greater degrees of paralysis.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
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Mumford and three of the night's nine musicians - including fellow full-time members Ted Dwane on stand-up bass and Ben Lovett on keys - were forced to bring the song to a halt.—
Piet Levy,
jsonline.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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The Padres were eliminated from the playoffs in the Wild Card round, and because of Wrigley Field's century-old accommodations, the umpire crew was forced to exit the game through the visitors' dugout immediately after San Diego's season had come to a screeching halt.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On the play Warner got hurt, the 49ers were missing a right defensive end, and coaches mistakenly assumed practice-squad call-up Trevis Gipson stayed on the field to fill that role after racing down on kickoff coverage and making the initial hit on a tackle.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
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So does Stagier Bar, with creations like dumplings filled with lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish of sautéed beef that hints at the chef Joel Baeza’s Latin American roots.—
Emilio Parra Doiztua,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The federal government shuttered at the beginning of the month after Congress failed to break a funding deadlock and pass a measure to keep agencies running.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
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As the government shutdown stretches into day 14, funding for vital programs remains stuck in a deadlock limbo between Congressional Republicans and Democrats.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Carlin Karr, director of wine and beverage at Stuckey’s restaurants — including Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder — believes roughly 1 in 10 wine bottles are off in taste, or corked.—
Jeremy Harlan,
CNN Money,
16 July 2025
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Public opposition to the fee helped cork the proposal.—
Sarah Scoles,
JSTOR Daily,
11 June 2025
Noun
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Air traffic controllers and airport security screeners are among the thousands of government employees who are required to work despite not getting paid during the impasse.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
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The plan is expected to fail again as the impasse continues.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The rock was originally silt on the seafloor that, it's argued, hosted early microbial life that was buried by more silt, leaving the carbon as their remains.—
Howard Lee,
ArsTechnica,
11 Aug. 2025
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Historically, the region itself was created by the natural flooding and silting processes of the Mississippi River, which flows across the breadth of the state before spilling into the Gulf of America.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Due to the strike, container ships could not be handled, secured or unsecured at the port’s terminals, putting seaside operations at a standstill.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
15 Oct. 2025
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Lawmakers are still in a stalemate with negotiations at a standstill.—
Justin Gomez,
ABC News,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cucumber water isn’t just a refreshing spa drink; it’s also packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients that can boost your health.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
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Canned Salmon Canned salmon is a protein-rich food that’s packed with omega-3 fats, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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