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
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as in to fill
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Recent Examples of gridlock
Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Or, their issues get caught up in gridlock at the Security Council where the five permanent members hold veto power — the U.S., China, Russia, United Kingdom and France.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
With so many people, the traffic jam at times slowed to gridlock.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Noun
Congestion pricing’s first month has offered New Yorkers plenty of immediate ways to measure its impact: their E-ZPass bills, the decrease in honk-inducing gridlock outside their windows, the number of exclamation points in a bridge-and-tunnel uncle’s Facebook posts.
—Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Or, their issues get caught up in gridlock at the Security Council where the five permanent members hold veto power — the U.S., China, Russia, United Kingdom and France.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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
With so many people, the traffic jam at times slowed to gridlock.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
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For example, drugs can activate apoptosis or halt cell division in ways that mimic p53’s normal function.—
Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka,
The Conversation,
20 Feb. 2025
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Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid, saying the blanket halt was based on dubious logic.—
Mark Mazzetti,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The group on Mondays will lead two hours, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The move will have direct implications for Joy Reid, the anchor who currently fills 7 p.m.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
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The finish leans into baked flaky pastry filled with tart raspberry and more ginger and dark chocolate on the finish.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There were no fights in Thursday’s final in Boston, but the two sides traded leads and finished in a 2-2 deadlock at the end of regulation time.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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Inside the Lives of José and Kitty Menendez Before Their 1989 Murders In 1996, three years after their first trial ended in a deadlock, the siblings were convicted of the first-degree murders and subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The brash freshman who spent much of the season bragging to teammates about his power corked a bat to crush balls even farther.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
20 Aug. 2024
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Pair with a bottle of wine or corked beverage of choice for an even more elevated gift.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Hamas on Friday published the names of three more hostages to be released, signaling that an impasse over the immediate future of the cease-fire with Israel had been overcome after days of recriminations between the two sides.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
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As some states have refused to comply with President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bans trans athletes in girls' and women's sports, New York is at an impasse over the issue.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes.—
Erica Gies,
Scientific American,
1 Dec. 2018
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All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created to protect Americans from financial fraud, abuse and deceptive practices, has been brought to a standstill.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
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Alyssa Vasey of Kemmerer, Wyo., was traveling west on Interstate 80 late Friday morning when traffic came to a standstill.—
Tim Balk,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sound great, but will the lounge be packed from noon to night?—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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Hong Kong, which remains one of the world’s great eating cities even after the political crackdowns against pro-democracy protests, is packed with restaurants and shops that specialize in one specific dish.—
Laurie Ochoa,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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