Words / C1

DEDL-ok/ˈdedlɒk/

Deadlock is a standstill because neither side will move: talks reached deadlock, break the deadlock. Stalemate is a close cousin (from chess); impasse is more formal. Gridlock is traffic. A deadlock in computing is two processes each waiting for the other. Do not use deadlock for a slow meeting that is still inching forward.

Meaning

A situation in which neither side will move, so no progress is possible.

Examples

• “Talks reached deadlock over working hours.”
• “Negotiations reached deadlock over night pay, then a mediator proposed a trial month.”
• “A hung committee is deadlock; a long agenda is merely slow.”

Good to know

A complete standstill in talks. Close: stalemate / impasse. Traffic: gridlock. Not merely a slow meeting.

Near in meaning

stalemate

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