dead end

dead end noun: a street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.

Noun

dead end (plural dead ends)

(idiomatic) A street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.
- That road comes to a dead end at the lake.
- With a blast, take his cash before I dash and bash his head in / Dump him at the dead end, and that's just his luck1991, “I Don't Give a Fuck”, in 2Pacalypse Now, performed by 2Pac
Synonyms:

cul-de-sac, blind alley, impasse
The inner end of a drift or tunnel.
- The ventilation of dead ends — always a serious problem — has in some mines been an absolute necessity. At the Oriental Consols Gold Mine a crosscut at a depth of 2,600 ft. has been continued to over 1,400 ft. from the shaft, and at the No. 2 South Great Eastern Gold Mine crosscutting and driving...1912 Queensland Annual Report of the Under Secretary for Mines for 1911. Brisbane, Australia. p.167
(figuratively) A position that offers no hope of change or progress.
- Her father suggested that she decline the job because it was a dead end.
- Furthermore, this muscular liberal project is a dead end. It's a nostalgic grab for old certainties.2005 September 11, Madeleine Bunting, “The muscular liberals are marching into a dead end”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Synonyms:

cul-de-sac, impasse
A split end in the hair.
- Cut the ends of the hair once a month certain — no matter if you do cut but just the tips of a fourth of an inch, cut it. Cut off the dead ends every month as regularly as the new moon comes round.1890, The Young Lady's Private Counselor, page 208

முட்டுச் சந்து, வழிஇறுதி, மேற்செல்லாத

একটি রাস্তা, চুলের ভাঙা ডগা

ಕಟ್ಟ ಕಡೆಯ, ಕೊನೆಯ

More languagesFewer languages

dead end in Arabic: طَرِيق مَسْدُود ṭarīq masdūd, طَرِيق غَيْر نَافِذ ṭarīq ḡayr nāfiḏ
dead end in Malay: jalan mati
dead end in Indonesian: jalan buntu
dead end in Thai: ทางตัน taang-dtan
dead end in Vietnamese: ngõ cụt, đường cụt

The ventilation of dead ends — always a serious problem — has in some mines been an absolute necessity.1912 Queensland Annual Report of the Under Secretary for Mines for 1911. Brisbane, Australia. p.167
Russia calls talks a ‘dead end’ and it becomes clear that troop build-up is not a bluff to achieve other ends[.]2022 January 13, Julian Borger, “What have Ukraine talks achieved, and is war now more likely?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
“[…]Fossil fuels are a dead end – environmentally and economically,” said António Guterres, the secretary general of the UN.2022 May 18, Damian Carrington, “Critical climate indicators broke records in 2021, says UN”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

What does dead end mean?: Dead end means a street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.
What is dead end in Tamil?: Dead end in Tamil is முட்டுச் சந்து, வழிஇறுதி, மேற்செல்லாத. See Dead end meaning in Tamil.
How do you use dead end in a sentence?: The ventilation of dead ends — always a serious problem — has in some mines been an absolute necessity.
What part of speech is dead end?: Dead end is a noun.
What is the plural of dead end?: The plural of dead end is dead ends.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-dead end.ogg.

Cite this entry: “dead end.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dead_end. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.