gridlock
English
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gridlock
- /ˈɡɹɪdˌlɒk/ UK
- /ˈɡɹɪdˌlɑk/ US
Where it comes from
From grid + lock.
noun gridlocks
- A condition of total, interlocking traffic congestion on the streets or highways of a crowded city, in which no one can move because everyone is in someone else's way.
- On a smaller scale, the situation in which cars enter a signal-controlled intersection too late during the green light cycle, and are unable to clear the intersection (due to congestion in the next block) when the light turns red, thus blocking the cross traffic when it's their turn to go. Repeated at enough intersections, this phenomenon can lead to citywide gridlock.
- Any paralysis of a complex system due to severe congestion, conflict, or deadlock. But no party appeared on track to secure an absolute majority, leaving one of Europe’s largest countries headed for gridlock or political instability.
- Deliberate misspelling of girlcock and girldick God, ngl, some gridlock sounds real good right about now (iykyk)
verb gridlocks · gridlocking · gridlocked
- To cause traffic congestion.
Translations
Every language
noun traffic congestion
| Español | embotellamiento, atasco |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 교착 상태 gyochak sangtae |
| 日本語 | 交通渋滞 kōtsū jūtai, 渋滞 jūtai |
| 中文 | 交通阻塞 jiāotōng zǔsè |
| हिन्दी | ग्रिडलॉक griḍlŏk |
| Português | engarrafamento |
| Français | paralysie, embouteillage |
| Deutsch | Verkehrsinfarkt, Verkehrskollaps |
| Italiano | ingorgo |
| Русский | зато́р zatór |
| Tiếng Việt | khóa lưới |
| العربية | جُمُود jumūd |
| עברית | רשת réshet |
noun on a smaller scale
| Español | atasco |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 渋滞 jūtai, 雑踏 zattō, 雑沓 zattō |
| 中文 | 塞車 /塞车 |
| Português | engarrafamento |
| Français | embouteillage |
| Deutsch | Stau |
| Русский | про́бка próbka, зато́р zatór |
noun deadlock
| Español | paralización |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 停滞 teitai |
| 中文 | 僵局 jiāngjú |
| Português | impasse |
| Français | impasse, interblocage |
| Deutsch | Stillstand |
| Русский | тупи́к tupík, засто́й zastój, мёртвая то́чка mjórtvaja tóčka |
Talk about this word "gridlock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gridlock. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gridlock. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gridlock "gridlock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gridlock.
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BibTeX
@misc{gridlock_2026,
title = {gridlock},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gridlock},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
