deadline

noun

dead·​line ˈded-ˌlīn 

1

: a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot

2

a

: a date or time before which something must be done

b

: the time after which copy is not accepted for a particular issue of a publication

Phrases

on deadline or under deadline

: with the requirement of meeting a deadline

working on deadline

Examples of deadline in a Sentence

She worked on her composition right up until the deadline.

We had to hurry to meet the deadline.

The project was completed a week past its deadline.

The deadline for submitting college applications is April 19th.

They're working under a deadline.

Recent Examples on the Web

But others reportedly continued to ignore the order, so when the deadline passed, the government banned 26 social-media platforms, including Meta’s Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 9 Sep. 2025

Rookie pitcher Ryan Bergert has made a strong impression with the Kansas City Royals since arriving from the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. —Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025

The Heat has discussed this option, but to this point has leaned toward keeping Rozier to see if his salary (and expiring contract) can be used as cap ballast in a trade if a pricey standout player becomes available closer to the February trade deadline. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025

Grimes is seven years younger than Drummond and had a major late-season breakout after arriving in Philadelphia ahead of the February trade deadline. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deadline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

deadline

noun

dead·​line ˈded-ˌlīn 

: a date or time before which something must be done