dead end
noun/ˌded ˈend/
/ˌded ˈend/
- a road, passage, etc. that is closed at one end
- The first street we tried turned out to be a dead end.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by car or lorryc2- We tried cutting through a back road but it was a dead end.
- We turned down a dead-end street by mistake.
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- a point at which you can make no further progress in what you are doing
- We had come to a dead end in our research.
- This line of investigation could prove to be a complete dead end.
- He's in a dead-end job in the local factory (= one with low wages and no hope of promotion).
- These negotiations are a dead-end street (= they have reached a point where no further progress is possible).
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dead end