DEAD END Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

dead-end 1 of 2

verb

ˈded-ˈend

Definition of dead-end

as in to end

to come to an end after several fruitless years, the research seems to have simply dead-ended

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dead end

2 of 2

noun

as in high road

Related Words

as in dilemma

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dead-end

Verb

So Help Me God’s songs unfurl across five, seven, and even eight minutes, speaking on the perils of not knowing oneself, feeling suffocated by a dead-end relationship, and coaxing out the will to do better. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 Time confetti is basically a dead-end street to burnout, Brown adds. — Parents, 13 June 2026

Noun

Just before the anniversary of Guthrie’s disappearance, law enforcement hit another dead end. — Stephanie Murray, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 In missing persons cases though, investigators can often hit a dead end. — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dead-end

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead-end

Verb

Jurin keeps working after the conversation ends—across phone, email, web chat and LINE, the messaging app used by the vast majority of Japan’s population—connecting plain language to the software that acts.

— Jurin AI Contributor, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The senator expressed concerns about the effects if Arkansas tries to end Medicaid expansion altogether.

— Nathan Ansell, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of end

Verb

Judges in those cases could make decisions in the coming weeks that could potentially halt the projects across the Big Bend region while the lawsuits play out.

— Ashley Killough, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
The legislative proposal follows Abbott’s January directive to state agencies and public universities and colleges to halt new H-1B visas.

— Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of halt

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deaden

dead-end

dead end

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Style

“Dead-end.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead-end. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dead-end

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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