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
Aditya Shah, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Moody’s cited concerns about the nation’s growing $36 trillion debt amid gridlock in Congress over a White House budget bill that the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates would add $3.3 trillion to the debt in the next 10 years.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 18 May 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
To avoid silent failures or operational gridlock, systems should be designed to anticipate your hands-on problem-solving.
—Aditya Shah, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Moody’s cited concerns about the nation’s growing $36 trillion debt amid gridlock in Congress over a White House budget bill that the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates would add $3.3 trillion to the debt in the next 10 years.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 18 May 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
-
Loyalty is hard to maintain when authenticity falters and innovation halts.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2025
-
The report calls for the destruction of all enrichment sites, the removal or seizure of enriched uranium, the dismantling of advanced centrifuges, and a permanent halt to weaponization efforts.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
The farm—which is, in fact, an enormous warehouse—is filled with lettuce seedlings growing under banks of lights in a mist of chemicals.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
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Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly recently suggested the Yankees could swing a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez to fill the massive hole at third base in the Bronx.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin to break the deadlock.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
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History shows that conclaves have ranged from a matter of hours to nearly three years, shaped by intrigue, deadlock, and even popular revolt.—
Dan Cody,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Verb
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Public opposition to the fee helped cork the proposal.—
Sarah Scoles,
JSTOR Daily,
11 June 2025
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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
Noun
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The jury of six men and six women declared themselves at an impasse after multiple days of deliberation, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on all three charges.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
18 June 2025
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But the talks have been at an impasse, as competing proposals have created a rift between the three states in the river’s lower basin — California, Arizona and Nevada — and the four states in the river’s upper basin — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 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
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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
Noun
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But at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with most productions left at a standstill across the industry, Williamson began feeling increasingly restless.—
Max Gao,
IndieWire,
20 June 2025
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The Problem With Shamet Shamet is an excellent shooter, both at a standstill and off of movement.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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These waterproof shoe bags are a game-changer for anyone who packs an extra pair of shoes.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
22 June 2025
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Your hands/fingers are enough, no need to really pack it down with a measuring cup.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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