Synonyms of gridlock

gridlock 1 of 2

noun

ˈgrid-ˌläk 

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

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

gridlock

2 of 2

verb

as in to fill

Related Words

• fill
• cork
• silt
• pack
• congest
• clog
• stopper
• fur
• stop (up)
• obstruct
• flood
• dam
• stopple
• glut
• spile
• bung
• gum (up)
• block
• jam
• swamp
• plug (up)
• occlude
• clot
• overwhelm
• inundate
• choke
• stuff

Dissimilar Words

• open (up)
• free
• clear
• unplug
• unclog
• hollow (out)
• unblock
• scoop (out)
• unstop
• empty
• excavate
• lighten

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gridlock

Noun

As thousands of residents lost power and traffic signals went dark, Waymo robotaxis recorded nearly 1,600 stoppages lasting at least two minutes, blocking traffic and contributing to widespread gridlock. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026

This is why Congress predominantly engages in no-compromise, one-party legislating, which produces dysfunction and gridlock. — Dan Lipinski, Baltimore Sun, 27 Oct. 2026

Verb

Waymo's vehicles contributed to gridlock during storms and widespread power outages in San Francisco last month. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026

Waiting until the last minute can lead to gridlock on the road for you and obstruct first responders trying to get to the active fire zone. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025