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
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 1 July 2025
But Nolan warned that the same old hurdles remain — political gridlock, protectionism, and national governments reluctant to see their pension funds used to back startups in other E.U. countries.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 14 May 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
Instead of gridlock, internal combustion machines spewing their poisons, and maddened drivers sitting on their horns, there are masses of…bicycles!
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 1 July 2025
But Nolan warned that the same old hurdles remain — political gridlock, protectionism, and national governments reluctant to see their pension funds used to back startups in other E.U. countries.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
-
About three-quarters of the way through the video, the song screeches to a halt, as the video shows four men listening to a boombox.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
-
On the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized his push for a quick halt to the fighting, and Putin voiced Moscow’s readiness to pursue talks with Kyiv, noting the previous rounds in Turkey yielded humanitarian results.—
Vladimir Isachenkov,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
On a scouting trip several years ago, my mask kept filling with water.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
5 July 2025
-
To keep the potting mix damp, set the pots in a kiddie pool filled with a few inches of water.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
It’s cleverly done, with the audience treated to a young Ollie Rathbone weaving in and out of an opposition defence to score with a thumping finish in junior football just moments before being shown doing exactly the same to break the deadlock after 15 minutes.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
-
Giving more countries a veto might result in nothing but more deadlock.—
Amanda Chicago Lewis,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Public opposition to the fee helped cork the proposal.—
Sarah Scoles,
JSTOR Daily,
11 June 2025
-
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
Noun
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Turner spent a decade in Indiana, but the NBA's two-time blocks leader seemed to be at an impasse with his state of affairs in Indianapolis.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
-
But, until this year, there was little movement due to the impasse between Amazon executives and the longtime shepherds of all things Bond, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Just a mile out of Fairfield, two vehicles collided, bringing traffic to a standstill.—
Santa Rosa Press Democrat,
Mercury News,
3 July 2025
-
Tense scenes played out in the chamber as voting came to a standstill, dragging for hours as holdout senators huddled for negotiations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
Choose a generously sized picnic blanket with a waterproof backing—ideally one that’s soft, stylish and easy to pack.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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In the early days of the war, the United States and its G-7 allies crafted sanctions and export controls that were thought to pack a powerful punch but in fact had so many mitigations built in that they were robbed of their full impact.—
Michael Carpenter,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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