dead end

/dɛd ɛnd/
noun
  1. A street or passage that is closed at one end, with no way through.
    • The taxi driver realized they were in a dead-end and had to turn around.
    • Children love playing on dead-end streets because there is little traffic.
    • The map showed a dead-end at the edge of the forest.
  2. A situation that offers no hope of progress or success.
    • Negotiations reached a dead-end when neither side would compromise.
    • He felt his job was a dead-end with no chance of promotion.
    • After months of searching, the investigation hit a dead-end.
adjective
  1. Having no way out or no possibility of advancement.
    • The dead-end road led to a small farmhouse.
    • He was stuck in a dead-end relationship that made him unhappy.
    • She quit her dead-end job to start her own business.
verb
  1. To come to a point where no further progress is possible.
    • The trail dead-ends at the river, so we have to go back.
    • The conversation dead-ended after his rude comment.
    • Our research dead-ended when the funding ran out.
What does "dead end" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean