gridlock

plural gridlocks

1. countableuncountableroadA condition of total, interlocking traffic congestion on the streets or highways of a crowded city, in which no one can move because everyone is in someone else's way.
2. countableuncountableOn a smaller scale, the situation in which cars enter a signal-controlled intersection too late during the green light cycle, and are unable to clear the intersection (due to congestion in the next block) when the light turns red, thus blocking the cross traffic when it's their turn to go. Repeated at enough intersections, this phenomenon can lead to citywide gridlock.
3. broadlycountablefigurativelyuncountableAny paralysis of a complex system due to severe congestion, conflict, or deadlock.

   But no party appeared on track to secure an absolute majority, leaving one of Europe’s largest countries headed for gridlock or political instability.

   2024 July 8, Adam Nossiter, Aurelien Breeden, “5 Takeaways From France’s Snap Election”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

4. countabledeliberatemisspellinguncountabletransgender slangDeliberate misspelling of girlcock and girldick.First known use early 2020s

   Tattoo on my gridlock that says twink death

   2023 November 25, @marufawks, X (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

   5 more examples

   God, ngl, some gridlock sounds real good right about now (iykyk)

   2021 November 13, @Nartemis117, Twitter (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

   Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can feel my gridlock... And my girldick... even my shenis... The body I've lost... the comrades I've lost... won't stop hurting... It's like they're all still there.

   2022 January 22, @Andtheirva, Twitter (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

   pros of dating me : im cute and nice and i have an integra, my gridlock is perfectly sized ¶ cons of dating me: i WILL leave all my misc car parts, video game accessories, milsurp equipment, and cute girl clothes in your room. this is non-negotionable. this is where it goes now.

   2022 March 18, @stonewall1312, Twitter (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

   Making my girlfriend print out a cute pic of my gridlock so she doesn’t forget what it looks like while she’s away from me.

   2023 March 20, @socalledcharlie, Twitter (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

   […] thalia is a lesbian that dated a trans girl once and got a taste of gridlock and now is exclusively a chaser for trans girls

   2024 March 7, @TheTunnelingCat, X (post), archived from the original on 02 Sep 2025

present singular third person gridlocks · participle present gridlocking · participle past gridlocked · past gridlocked

1. To cause traffic congestion.