as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
with the White House controlled by one party and Congress by the other, the nation experienced four years of legislative gridlock
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as in to fill
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of gridlock
Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
The agreement allows Republicans to break the gridlock that the House faced last week and vote on upcoming legislation.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Noun
Growth is inevitable, but gridlock, overwhelmed city services, and disconnected communities don’t have to be.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
The agreement allows Republicans to break the gridlock that the House faced last week and vote on upcoming legislation.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
Their effort has been criticized as a road to gridlock while, in the aftermath instead, a summer of litigation and investigation of actions has played out.
—Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Aug. 2024
Hitler exploited his 37% to gridlock legislative processes, to cudgel or crush the political opposition, and ultimately to undermine the country’s democratic structures.
—Timothy Ryback, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gridlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gridlock
Noun
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People magazine similarly reported the relationship has come to a halt.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2025
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However, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought Broadway to a halt, Koguchi found herself in a foreign country, unable to perform.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
17 May 2025
Verb
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The agency, whose fewer than 1,900 federal employees oversee the more than 60,000 contractors who build and maintain the U.S. nuclear arsenal, has struggled to fill crucial safety roles.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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Critics say Walters’ new standard is filled with misleading phrasing that seeks to steer the discussion in a particular direction.—
Sean Murphy,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
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For decades, the idea of big-league baseball in Orlando felt like nothing more than a mirage; especially in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Rays and the persistent deadlock surrounding a permanent stadium deal in the Bay area.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 May 2025
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But the cluster model offers a way to break persistent deadlocks on other, more controversial areas of policy, such as defense or climate action, by allowing groups of like-minded European states to cooperate more deeply without the constraint of needing EU-wide unanimity.—
Sophia Besch,
Foreign Affairs,
5 May 2025
Verb
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The brash freshman who spent much of the season bragging to teammates about his power corked a bat to crush balls even farther.—
Chandler Rome,
The Athletic,
20 Aug. 2024
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Pair with a bottle of wine or corked beverage of choice for an even more elevated gift.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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As the impasse dragged on, frustrated townspeople took matters into their own hands, literally locking the indecisive cardinals inside the meeting hall and even removing the roof to speed the process.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
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An impasse means the district and the union will continue negotiating, but with the help of a mediator.—
Melanie Asmar,
Denver Post,
7 May 2025
Verb
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For his big plan, Yu can use them along with geographic information system (GIS) and satellite imagery to track China’s landscape changes as urbanization spreads, as estuaries and deltas silt up, as water starts to move differently across landscapes and cityscapes.—
Erica Gies,
Scientific American,
1 Dec. 2018
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All the while, the Guadalquivir River, which allowed ships into Seville, began to silt up, forcing trade southward to the coastal town of Cádiz.—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2023
Noun
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While lawsuits in the US largely came to a standstill, cases in the European Union progressed well for Epic, with the publisher successfully arguing that third-party app stores should be allowed to exist on iOS, something that has since been allowed in the EU.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
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The tariff dispute brought nearly $600 billion in two-way trade to a standstill, disrupting supply chains, sparking fears of stagflation and triggering some layoffs.—
Emma Farge,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
Verb
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The Croisette is often packed with tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of Hollywood stars, as well as studio executives, sales agents and journalists hustling from one meeting to another.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
17 May 2025
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Best Early Wayfair Memorial Day Furniture Sales Of course, Wayfair is also packed with deals on indoor furniture, including end tables under $60 and coffee tables with storage for a whopping 78% off.—
Bridget Degnan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gridlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gridlock. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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