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
Verhaeghe scored in the first period and assisted Sam Reinhart’s goal in the second that broke the deadlock and put the Panthers ahead 2-1.
—
Cameron Priester, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025
It’s cleverly done, with the audience treated to a young Ollie Rathbone weaving in and out of an opposition defence to score with a thumping finish in junior football just moments before being shown doing exactly the same to break the deadlock after 15 minutes.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Giving more countries a veto might result in nothing but more deadlock.
—Amanda Chicago Lewis, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin to break the deadlock.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Cameron Priester, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025
It’s cleverly done, with the audience treated to a young Ollie Rathbone weaving in and out of an opposition defence to score with a thumping finish in junior football just moments before being shown doing exactly the same to break the deadlock after 15 minutes.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Giving more countries a veto might result in nothing but more deadlock.
—Amanda Chicago Lewis, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin to break the deadlock.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadlock
Noun
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For businesses, this means operations don’t come to a halt.—
Kwabena Osei-Sarpong,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
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The point is that in those cases, the players’ unions had the power to bring the whole sport to a halt.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Negotiations to secure a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seem to have hit an impasse amid hopes from top mediators, including President Donald Trump’s Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, that a deal can be reached soon.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
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The 1,300-member Judicial Professional Employees Union, which represents probation officers, information technology analysts, assistant clerks, counselors and other support staff, announced an impasse July 2.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
9 July 2025
Noun
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In Geneva, negotiators will attempt to break the stalemate between countries that want a strong treaty limiting the total global production of plastic and a few plastic and petroleum producing nations that oppose such a cap.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
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The stalemate between the Wu administration and the Krafts is now in the hands of a mediator, who will have the difficult job of figuring out a compromise that will probably not satisfy either side.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadlock. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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