deadlock — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The negotiation ended in deadlock, with neither party willing to compromise on the price.

2. An inability to continue due to two programs or devices each requiring a response from the other before completing an operation.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   If synchronization is always performed in least-first order with respect to object tags, then situations can never arise in which one thread has the synchronization lock for x while waiting for y and another has the lock for y while waiting for x. Instead, they will both obtain the locks in the same order, thus avoiding this form of deadlock.

3. Synonym of deadbolt (“type of lock”).

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Verb

1. To cause or come to a deadlock.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   A suspect was arrested on November 30 and charged with attempted murder. The evidence against him consisted of two jailhouse informers and an eyewitness who picked him out of a lineup after having identified a different man in an initial photo array. A jury ultimately convicted the suspect of assault after deadlocking twice in three days of deliberation.

2. To bring to a state of deadlock.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Since we cannot solve this problem completely, it may sometimes be better to use explicit locks and risk deadlock if a thread exits unexpectedly. It may be better to have a deadlocked system than to have a corrupted system.

Noun

1. a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

   Synonyms

   dead endimpassestalematestandstill

   Broader terms

   situation

   Examples

   reached an impasse on the negotiations