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PlainSpell

dead end

/ˈdɛdɛnd/noun

dead end is a noun meaning “A street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled D-E-A-D-E-N-D. The plural of dead end is dead ends or dead-ends.

What does dead end mean?

noun

  1. 1

    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.

  2. 2

    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.

  3. 3

    A position that offers no hope of change or progress.

    Her father suggested that she decline the job because it was a dead end.

  4. 4

    A split end in the hair.

adjective

as dead-end
  1. 1

    Going nowhere; blocked.

    a dead-end street

verb

as dead-end
  1. 1

    USTo come to a dead-end.

    Watch out! The road dead-ends in 200 yards and there's nowhere to turn around!

  2. 2

    To come to nothing; to reach a hopeless situation.

noun

as dead-end
  1. 1

    Alternative spelling of dead end: a road with no exit.

    We turned into the street and realised it was a dead-end.

  2. 2

    Alternative spelling of dead end: a position that offers no hope of progress.

    Mary realised her relationship with Jim had hit a dead-end.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce dead end?

  • /ˈdɛdɛnd/
  • /dɛdˈɛnd/

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-dead_end.ogg, En-us-dead-end.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of dead end

  • dead ends plural
  • dead-end
  • deadend
  • more dead-end comparative
  • most dead-end superlative
  • dead-ends present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • dead-ending participle, present
  • dead-ended participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Dead end in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcul-de-sac, impasse, voie sans issue (street or path that goes nowhere), voie de garage (position that offers no hope of progress), sans issue (blocked)
GermanSackgasse, Stichstraße (street or path that goes nowhere), Ende Gelände (position that offers no hope of progress)
Portuguesebeco sem saída, rua sem saída, cul-de-sac (street or path that goes nowhere), impasse (position that offers no hope of progress)
Spanishcalle sin salida, callejón sin salida, calle ciega, callejón, adarve (street or path that goes nowhere), punto muerto (position that offers no hope of progress)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.