gridlock
noun/ˈɡrɪdlɒk/
/ˈɡrɪdlɑːk/
[uncountable, countable]- a situation in which there are so many cars in the streets of a town that the traffic cannot move at all
- It’s gridlock between 6.30 and 9.00.
- The protest march created gridlock.
- roads that are prone to gridlocks
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- (usually in politics) a situation in which people with different opinions are not able to agree with each other and so no action can be taken
- Congress is in gridlock.
Word Origin1980s (originally US): from grid (in sense (1)) + lock ‘become rigidly fixed’.
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gridlock