gridlocked

adjective

grid·​locked ˈgrid-ˌläkt How to pronounce gridlocked (audio)
: affected by gridlock : brought to a state in which movement or progress is stopped completely
gridlocked streets
a gridlocked legislature
The Phoenix of 1996 has terrible air, gridlocked traffic, and spreads out in so many directions that it seems to lack any sense of order.Timothy Egan
… the notion of an incompetent, gridlocked government is still embedded in the national consciousness.Andrew Sullivan

Examples of gridlocked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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As the flames pushed closer to the gridlocked streets, some people frantically decided that their best option was to flee on foot in a city where walking is rarely one’s first choice. Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025 The issue now comes before the notoriously gridlocked Federal Elections Commission, an agency that is often slow or indecisive when acting on campaign finance complaints. Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024 Likewise, democracies in the making should heed the cautionary tale of Tunisia’s gridlocked Constituent Assembly. Sarah E. Yerkes, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2019 These roads may be closed or dangerous in unpredictable wildfire situations, and with 60% of students living on campus, could quickly become gridlocked, preventing students from getting to safety, according to the university. Chris Boyette, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gridlocked 

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gridlocked was in 1980

Dictionary Entries Near gridlocked

Cite this Entry

“Gridlocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gridlocked. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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