dead-end

1 of 3

adjective

ˈded-ˌend 

1

a

: lacking opportunities especially for advancement

a dead-end job

b

: lacking an exit

a dead-end street

2

: unruly

dead-end kids

dead-endedness

ˌded-ˈen-dəd-nəs 

noun

dead-end

2 of 3

verb

ˈded-ˈend 

dead-ended; dead-ending; dead-ends

intransitive verb

: to come to a dead end : terminate

the road dead-ends at the lake

the investigation dead-ended

dead end

3 of 3

noun

ˈded-ˈend 

1

: an end (as of a street) without an exit

2

: a position, situation, or course of action that leads to nothing further

Synonyms

Verb

• end
• stop
• halt
• conclude
• expire
• cease

Examples of dead-end in a Sentence

Verb

after several fruitless years, the research seems to have simply dead-ended

Noun

We came to a dead end and had to turn around.

My career has hit a dead end.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Get a Taste of South Africa at Bush Farmhouse Two minutes away on a dead-end street is Bush Farmhouse. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025

But the incremental benefits could be misleadingly tying us to a road that leads to a dead-end. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Verb

Hilland was working on a dead-end cold case that stretched back to the 70s involving a man, John Smith, whose two wives went mysteriously missing. —Natasha Stoynoff, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

These bacteria build up over time, growing faster in warmer weather and in areas of the water system's underground pipe network where water doesn't move around much, such as a dead-end street, Elmore said. —Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025

Noun

But after reaching a dead end on a case that consumed his life, a skeptical Hilland turned to psychic medium John Edward. —Forbestv, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

There’s just way too much getting tucked under this screenplay’s hood, resulting in undeveloped subplots that hit dead ends. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dead-end

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

dead-end

1 of 2 adjective

ˌded-ˌend

1

a

: having no opportunities for advancement

a dead-end job

b

: lacking an exit

dead-end street

2

: unruly

dead-end kids

dead end

2 of 2 noun

: an end (as of a street) without an exit