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 trial ended in a deadlock when the jury voted 10-2 in favor of the defense.
—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
28 June 2026
The second retrial also ended in mistrial this May, due to jury deadlock.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
Brexit’s tortuous complexity weakened governance and led to parliamentary deadlock.
—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
25 June 2026
Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi broke through with little more than a quarter hour to go, slamming a chest-high volley past goaltender Nikola Vasilj to end the deadlock.
—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
28 June 2026
The second retrial also ended in mistrial this May, due to jury deadlock.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 June 2026
Brexit’s tortuous complexity weakened governance and led to parliamentary deadlock.
—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
25 June 2026
Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi broke through with little more than a quarter hour to go, slamming a chest-high volley past goaltender Nikola Vasilj to end the deadlock.
—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadlock
Noun
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Gulf primary bond issuance came to an abrupt halt in the wake of the conflict, with corporate and sovereign bond yields jumping as geopolitical tensions escalated.
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Wrangling my emotions became the difference between sputtering to a halt and moving forward.
Noun
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The conflicts, including a marathon 15-day impasse with Disney, stemmed from YouTube TV‘s steady growth into a dominant pay-TV operator just nine years after its debut.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is meeting with the president today amid the legislative impasse.
Noun
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The stalemate on Thursday suited both teams, with Australia going through as group runners-up.
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Cape Verde came onto the international stage with a thrilling show — shocking the world with its 0-0 draw against Spain, where Vozinha was catapulted into sports stardom for stonewalling the Spanish, and on to its 2-2 stalemate with Uruguay.
Cite this Entry
“Deadlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadlock. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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