cul-de-sac

noun

ˈkəl-di-ˌsak 

ˈku̇l-;

ˌkəl-di-ˈsak,

ˌku̇l-

plural cul-de-sacs ˈkəl-di-ˌsaks 

ˈku̇l-;

ˌkəl-di-ˈsaks,

ˌku̇l-

also culs-de-sac ˈkəl(z)-di-ˌsak 

ˈku̇l(z)-;

ˌkəl(z)-di-ˈsak,

ˌku̇l(z)-

1

: a blind diverticulum or pouch

2

: a street or passage closed at one end

Our house is located on a quiet cul-de-sac.

3

: blind alley

If your job is a cul-de-sac, you have to quit or accept the fact that your career is over.

—Seth Godin

Examples of cul-de-sac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cougar Town began life as a show about Courteney Cox dating much younger guys; audiences didn’t like this, so within a half-dozen episodes, the show pivoted into a hangout comedy about Cox and her appealing friends from the cul-de-sac. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024

The seven-bedroom Hamilton Road home was built in 2005 on a cul-de-sac in the Deerfield Elementary district. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2024

The 58-year-old woman reportedly was arguing with her neighbor about 1:30 a.m., in the driveway of a home in the 1000 block of Putnam, a cul-de-sac located off of Big Meadows Lane, San Antonio police said. —Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2024

Nestled amid a secluded cul-de-sac, on over an acre of land overlooking the Getty Museum, the modern structure known as The Oasis was built on spec by veteran developer Ramtin Ray Nosrati and features seven bedrooms and 11 baths sprawled across almost 17,000 square feet of three-story living space. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, bottom of the bag

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cul-de-sac

noun

ˈkəl-di-ˌsak,

ˈku̇l-

plural cul-de-sacs

ˈkəl-di-ˌsaks,

ˈku̇l-

also culs-de-sac

ˈkəl(z)-di-ˌsak,

ˈku̇l(z)-

: a street or passage closed at one end

Medical Definition

cul-de-sac

noun

ˈkəl-di-ˌsak, ˈku̇l-; ˌkəl-di-ˈ, ˌku̇l- 

plural culs-de-sac ˈkəl(z)-, ˈku̇l(z)-, ˌkəl(z)-, ˌku̇l(z)-  also cul-de-sacs -ˌsaks, -ˈsaks 

1

: a blind diverticulum or pouch

also : the closed end of such a pouch

2

: pouch of douglas