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
Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The relatively brief closure of the I-5, which connects the Los Angeles area with San Diego County, caused traffic gridlock across the region, the Los Angeles Times reported.
—Steve Gorman, USA Today, 22 Oct. 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
Therefore, the gridlock will break at some point, so long as the four council members do not continue to evenly split their votes down the list.
—Hannah Elsmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The relatively brief closure of the I-5, which connects the Los Angeles area with San Diego County, caused traffic gridlock across the region, the Los Angeles Times reported.
—Steve Gorman, USA Today, 22 Oct. 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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Elsewhere, the e-cargo is built around aluminum front and rear frame components, rolls on 20-inch wheels wearing Scwhalbe rubber, and comes to a halt courtesy of Tektro quad-piston hydraulic brakes rocking 180-mm discs.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
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And in a situation where millions of Americans risked going hungry with the potential halt of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the group is using that power for good.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Dodgers could add Tucker to fill the massive hole in their outfield.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Beijing — When Ho Puay-peng first visited Beijing’s Forbidden City in the late 1980s, the Singaporean architect saw many of the historic courtyards used for storage, filled with garbage, and occupied by danwei (government offices).—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Breaking the deadlock There was certainly a time where most Australians thought the quotas would never come in.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
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That breakthrough altered the deadlock of WWI and inspired the global development of tanks as a means for breakthrough, not just static defence.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 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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As health care has become a sticking point in the shutdown impasse, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Monday released a tentative framework for a potential deal that would extend expiring the health insurance subsidies that have been at the center of the shutdown debate.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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The nation's food assistance programs have become a casualty of the impasse between Democrats and Republicans over how to fund the government.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 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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Meanwhile, German manufacturing orders have come to a standstill amid tariff uncertainty, even outpacing the precipitous decline experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, narrowly avoiding a recession.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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What Happens Next Congress remains at a standstill over funding, meaning wages for federal workers remain on hold, as do vital services.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2011, a Muslim militant blew himself up in a mosque at a police compound in Cirebon packed with officers during Friday prayers, injuring 30 people.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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These under-$30 advent calendars pack plenty of festive fun.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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