cul-de-sac
noun
ˈkəl-di-ˌsak 
ˈku̇l-;
ˌkəl-di-ˈsak,
ˌku̇l-
plural cul-de-sacs
ˈkəl-di-ˌsaks
ˈku̇l-;
ˌkəl-di-ˈsaks,
ˌku̇l-
also culs-de-sac
ˈkəl(z)-di-ˌsak
ˈku̇l(z)-;
ˌkəl(z)-di-ˈsak,
ˌku̇l(z)-
1
: a blind diverticulum or pouch
2
: a street or passage closed at one end
Our house is located on a quiet cul-de-sac.
3
: blind alley
If your job is a cul-de-sac, you have to quit or accept the fact that your career is over.—
Seth Godin
Seth GodinExamples of cul-de-sac in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The mayor’s signature program to fight homelessness went to the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Custer Avenue, where an encampment filled a cul-de-sac next to a CVS pharmacy.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2025
The cul-de-sac also includes exclusive access to nearby hiking trails.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The school’s location on a cul-de-sac created a logistical nightmare as parents rushed to pick up their children amid thick smoke and falling ash.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
Margaret Larkin, 66, had seen her fair share of fires and heavy Santa Ana winds in her decades of renting her cul-de-sac home on the west side of Altadena.
—Jireh Deng, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
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David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2025
The cul-de-sac also includes exclusive access to nearby hiking trails.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The school’s location on a cul-de-sac created a logistical nightmare as parents rushed to pick up their children amid thick smoke and falling ash.
—Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
Margaret Larkin, 66, had seen her fair share of fires and heavy Santa Ana winds in her decades of renting her cul-de-sac home on the west side of Altadena.
—Jireh Deng, NPR, 8 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cul-de-sac
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Dictionary Entries Near cul-de-sac
Cite this Entry
“Cul-de-sac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cul-de-sac. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cul-de-sac
noun
plural culs-de-sac
ˈkəl(z)-, ˈku̇l(z)-, ˌkəl(z)-, ˌku̇l(z)-
also cul-de-sacs
-ˌsaks, -ˈsaks
also cul-de-sacs
-ˌsaks, -ˈsaks
1
: a blind diverticulum or pouch
also
: the closed end of such a pouch
2
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