dead end

navigation career relationship

The term "dead end" can describe both physical locations that lead nowhere and metaphorical situations that offer no progress.

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Definition

B1Navigation

(literal)A road or passage that is blocked at one end and does not continue.

Example

The map showed a dead end, so we had to find another route.

B2Career

(figurative)A job or position with no prospects for advancement or growth.

Example

She felt trapped in a dead-end job with no chance of promotion.

B2General

(figurative)A situation or plan that offers no hope of progress or success.

Example

After months of effort, the project reached a dead end and was abandoned.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "dead end":

blind alley end of the line no end other end bad ending one-way street bitter end hard stop no through road end line end out the end dead in the water end off loose end end of story dead stand end run end of terrace the end of one's rope way out on end end state fork in the road