a road, passage, etc. that is closed at one end
Example:
- The first street we tried turned out to be a dead end.
Extra examples:
- We tried cutting through a back road but it was a dead end.
- We turned down a dead-end street by mistake.
a point at which you can make no further progress in what you are doing
Example:
- We had come to a dead end in our research.
- This line of investigation could prove to be a complete dead end.
- He's in a dead-end job in the local factory (= one with low wages and no hope of promotion).
- These negotiations are a dead-end street (= they have reached a point where no further progress is possible).