Meanings
plural dead ends · alternative dead-end · alternative deadend
- idiomaticA street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.
That road comes to a dead end at the lake.
1 more example
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 luck
1991, “I Don't Give a Fuck”, in 2Pacalypse Now, performed by 2PacSynonyms: cul-de-sac, blind alley, impasse
- businessThe inner end of a drift or tunnel.
1 more example
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 has been carried on at depths of 1,750 ft. and 2,000 ft. In order to ventilate these dead ends blowers have been used to force air into the faces through lines of pipes.
1912 Queensland Annual Report of the Under Secretary for Mines for 1911. Brisbane, Australia. p.167 - figurativelyA position that offers no hope of change or progress.
Her father suggested that she decline the job because it was a dead end.
3 more examples
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, →ISSNRussia 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, →ISSNSynonyms: cul-de-sac, impasse
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.
nounA position that offers no hope of change or progress.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Afrikaans doodloopstraat
- doodloopstraatstreet or path that goes nowhere
Ancient Greek ἀδιέξοδος
- ἀδιέξοδος (adiéxodos)street or path that goes nowhere
Arabic طَرِيق مَسْدُود, طَرِيق غَيْر نَافِذ
- طَرِيق مَسْدُود (ṭarīq masdūd)street or path that goes nowhere
- طَرِيق غَيْر نَافِذ (ṭarīq ḡayr nāfiḏ)street or path that goes nowhere
- طَرِيق مَسْدُود (ṭarīq masdūd)position that offers no hope of progress
Bulgarian задъ́нена у́лица, задъ́нена у́лица
- задъ́нена у́лица (zadắnena úlica)street or path that goes nowhere
- задъ́нена у́лица (zadắnena úlica)position that offers no hope of progress
Catalan cul-de-sac m atzucac, carreró sense sortida
- cul-de-sac m atzucacstreet or path that goes nowhere
- carreró sense sortidastreet or path that goes nowhere
- carreró sense eixidastreet or path that goes nowhere
Chinese Cantonese 掘頭巷 /掘头巷
- 掘頭巷 /掘头巷street or path that goes nowhere
Chinese Mandarin 死衚衕 /死胡同, 死路
- 死衚衕 /死胡同 (sǐhútòng)street or path that goes nowhere
- 死路 (sǐlù)street or path that goes nowhere
- 死巷 (sǐxiàng)street or path that goes nowhere
- 末路 (mòlù)street or path that goes nowhere
- 絕境 /绝境 (juéjìng)position that offers no hope of progress
- 困境 (kùnjìng)position that offers no hope of progress
Czech slepá ulička, slepá ulice
- slepá uličkastreet or path that goes nowhere
- slepá ulicestreet or path that goes nowhere
- slepá uličkaposition that offers no hope of progress
Danish blind vej, blindgyde
- blind vejstreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindgydestreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindgadestreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindgydeposition that offers no hope of progress
- blindsporposition that offers no hope of progress
Dutch beluik, doodlopende weg
- beluikstreet or path that goes nowhere
- doodlopende wegstreet or path that goes nowhere
Estonian umbtee, umbtänav
- umbteestreet or path that goes nowhere
- umbtänavstreet or path that goes nowhere
- tupikstreet or path that goes nowhere
Finnish umpikuja, pussikatu
- umpikujastreet or path that goes nowhere
- pussikatustreet or path that goes nowhere
- umpikujaposition that offers no hope of progress
French cul-de-sac, impasse
- cul-de-sacstreet or path that goes nowhere
- impassestreet or path that goes nowhere
- voie sans issuestreet or path that goes nowhere
- voie de garageposition that offers no hope of progress
- impasseposition that offers no hope of progress
- voie sans issueposition that offers no hope of progress
German Sackgasse, Stichstraße
- Sackgassestreet or path that goes nowhere
- Stichstraßestreet or path that goes nowhere
- Ende Geländeposition that offers no hope of progress
Greek αδιέξοδο, αδιέξοδος
- αδιέξοδο (adiéxodo)street or path that goes nowhere
- αδιέξοδος (adiéxodos)street or path that goes nowhere
Hebrew מָבוֹי סָתוּם
- מָבוֹי סָתוּם (mavóy satúm)street or path that goes nowhere
Hungarian zsákutca
- zsákutcastreet or path that goes nowhere
Icelandic botnlangi, blindgata
- botnlangistreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindgatastreet or path that goes nowhere
- botngatastreet or path that goes nowhere
Indonesian jalan buntu, jalan buntu
- jalan buntustreet or path that goes nowhere
- jalan buntuposition that offers no hope of progress
Italian cul di sacco, ronco
- cul di saccostreet or path that goes nowhere
- roncostreet or path that goes nowhere
- strada senza uscitastreet or path that goes nowhere
- vicolo ciecostreet or path that goes nowhere
- cul de sacstreet or path that goes nowhere
- vicolo ciecoposition that offers no hope of progress
- punto mortoposition that offers no hope of progress
- stasiposition that offers no hope of progress
- stancaposition that offers no hope of progress
Japanese 袋小路, 行き止まり
- 袋小路 (fukurokōji)street or path that goes nowhere
- 行き止まり (ikidomari)street or path that goes nowhere
- 行き詰まり (ikizumari)street or path that goes nowhere
- 行き詰まり (ikizumari)position that offers no hope of progress
- デッドエンド (deddo endo)position that offers no hope of progress
Korean 막다른 길, 막다른 골목
- 막다른 길 (makdareun gil)street or path that goes nowhere
- 막다른 골목 (makdareun golmok)street or path that goes nowhere
- 막다른 골 (makdareun gol)street or path that goes nowhere
- 막다른 골목 (makdareun golmok)position that offers no hope of progress
- 막다른 골 (makdareun gol)position that offers no hope of progress
- 데드 엔드 (dedeu endeu)position that offers no hope of progress
Latin fundula
- fundulastreet or path that goes nowhere
Latvian strupceļš
- strupceļšstreet or path that goes nowhere
Malay jalan mati
- jalan matistreet or path that goes nowhere
Norwegian Bokmål blindvei, blindveg
- blindveistreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindvegstreet or path that goes nowhere
- blindgatestreet or path that goes nowhere
Polish ślepa uliczka, ślepy zaułek
- ślepa uliczkastreet or path that goes nowhere
- ślepy zaułekstreet or path that goes nowhere
- ślepa uliczkaposition that offers no hope of progress
Portuguese beco sem saída, rua sem saída
- beco sem saídastreet or path that goes nowhere
- rua sem saídastreet or path that goes nowhere
- cul-de-sacstreet or path that goes nowhere
- impasseposition that offers no hope of progress
Romanian fundătură, fundac
- fundăturăstreet or path that goes nowhere
- fundacstreet or path that goes nowhere
- drum înfundatstreet or path that goes nowhere
- impasposition that offers no hope of progress
Russian тупи́к, тупи́к
- тупи́к (tupík)street or path that goes nowhere
- тупи́к (tupík)position that offers no hope of progress
Slovak slepá ulička
- slepá uličkastreet or path that goes nowhere
Spanish calle sin salida, callejón sin salida
- calle sin salidastreet or path that goes nowhere
- callejón sin salidastreet or path that goes nowhere
- calle ciegastreet or path that goes nowhere
- callejónstreet or path that goes nowhere
- adarvestreet or path that goes nowhere
- punto muertoposition that offers no hope of progress
- callejón sin salidaposition that offers no hope of progress
Swedish återvändsgränd
- återvändsgrändstreet or path that goes nowhere
Tagalog daang sukol
- daang sukolstreet or path that goes nowhere
Thai ทางตัน, ทางตัน
- ทางตัน (taang-dtan)street or path that goes nowhere
- ทางตัน (taang-dtan)position that offers no hope of progress
Turkish çıkmaz sokak
- çıkmaz sokakstreet or path that goes nowhere
Ukrainian глухи́й кут, тупи́к
- глухи́й кут (hluxýj kut)street or path that goes nowhere
- тупи́к (tupýk)position that offers no hope of progress
Vietnamese ngõ cụt, đường cụt
- ngõ cụtstreet or path that goes nowhere
- đường cụtstreet or path that goes nowhere
- ngõ cụtposition that offers no hope of progress
Cite this entry
dead end. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20end
“dead end.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20end. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead end,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20end.
Source: dead end on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.