as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
the jury sent a note to the judge that it was hopelessly stuck in a deadlock
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Recent Examples of deadlock
The verdict came after Jeffrey Ferguson's first trial ended in a deadlock in March after eight days of deliberations.
—
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
For decades, the idea of big-league baseball in Orlando felt like nothing more than a mirage; especially in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Rays and the persistent deadlock surrounding a permanent stadium deal in the Bay area.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 May 2025
But the cluster model offers a way to break persistent deadlocks on other, more controversial areas of policy, such as defense or climate action, by allowing groups of like-minded European states to cooperate more deeply without the constraint of needing EU-wide unanimity.
—Sophia Besch, Foreign Affairs, 5 May 2025
Whoever is elected to the now-vacant District 1 seat will break a partisan deadlock — and help steer the future of county government.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
For decades, the idea of big-league baseball in Orlando felt like nothing more than a mirage; especially in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Rays and the persistent deadlock surrounding a permanent stadium deal in the Bay area.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 May 2025
But the cluster model offers a way to break persistent deadlocks on other, more controversial areas of policy, such as defense or climate action, by allowing groups of like-minded European states to cooperate more deeply without the constraint of needing EU-wide unanimity.
—Sophia Besch, Foreign Affairs, 5 May 2025
Whoever is elected to the now-vacant District 1 seat will break a partisan deadlock — and help steer the future of county government.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadlock
Noun
-
That was after the pandemic lockdown brought concerts — and much of the world — shuddering to a halt in 2020 and much of 2021 (and before the COVID resurgence that followed).—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
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Your money can become temporarily or permanently inaccessible, payment systems can seize up, and the real economy can be brought to a halt.—
Jon Helgi Egilsson,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
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That timeline is where the two rivals find themselves at an impasse.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
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The California Department of Human Resources filed an unfair practice charge against the union, arguing that bargaining had not reached an impasse when those workers went on strike.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
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The more important goal here is to achieve deterrence, similar to the stalemate in the Cold War with the Soviet Union that was based on nuclear weapons.—
Iain Boyd,
The Conversation,
22 May 2025
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When Narváez broke the scoreless stalemate with his blast, Rob Refsnyder held the cover aloft in the dugout.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadlock. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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