deadlock

[ded-lok] /ˈdɛdˌlɒk/
noun
1.
a state in which progress is impossible, as in a dispute, produced by the counteraction of opposing forces; standstill; stalemate:
The union and management reached a deadlock over fringe benefits.
2.
deadbolt.
3.
a maximum-security cell for the solitary confinement of a prisoner.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
4.
to bring or come to a deadlock.
Origin
1770-80; dead + lock1
Related forms
undeadlocked, adjective
Synonyms
1. standoff, impasse, draw.
British Dictionary definitions for deadlocks

deadlock

/ˈdɛdˌlɒk/
noun
1.
a state of affairs in which further action between two opposing forces is impossible; stalemate
2.
a tie between opposite sides in a contest
3.
a lock having a bolt that can be opened only with a key
verb
4.
to bring or come to a deadlock
Word Origin and History for deadlocks

deadlock

n.

"complete standstill," from dead (adj.), in its emphatic use, + lock (n.). First attested 1779 in Sheridan's play "The Critic."