gridlock — a traffic jam in which no vehicle is able to move in any direction
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a traffic jam in which no vehicle is able to move in any direction
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈɡrɪdlɑːk/
Example Sentences
- The pizza delivery guy got stuck in gridlock and arrived with cold pizza and hot tears.
- Congress has been in gridlock for months over the new healthcare bill.
- My brain goes into gridlock when I try to understand quantum physics.
gridlock
NOUN[/ˈɡrɪdlɑːk/]
a traffic jam in which no vehicle is able to move in any direction
Downtown traffic is in total gridlock during rush hour.
Gridlock turns wedlock into deadlock!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Gridlock emerged in the 1980s as a compound word combining 'grid' (a network of intersecting streets arranged in a rectangular pattern) and 'lock' (a state of being immobilized). The term was created to describe a traffic situation in grid-patterned cities where vehicles become completely immobilized in all directions due to intersecting congestion.
Breakdown
grid (a network of intersecting lines or streets) + lock (a state of being fixed or immobilized) = a complete traffic standstill where vehicles cannot move in any direction.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The pizza delivery guy got stuck in gridlock and arrived with cold pizza and hot tears.”
“Congress has been in gridlock for months over the new healthcare bill.”
“My brain goes into gridlock when I try to understand quantum physics.”
“The city implemented new traffic lights to prevent gridlock downtown.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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