gridlock

English

Gridlock at an intersection.

Etymology

From grid +‎ lock.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹɪdˌlɒk/, /ˈɡɹɪdˌlɒk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹɪdˌlɑk/
• Hyphenation: grid‧lock

Noun

gridlock (countable and uncountable, plural gridlocks)

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. (figuratively, by extension) any paralysis of a complex system due to severe congestion, conflict, or deadlock.

Hypernyms

• lock

Translations

traffic congestion

• Arabic: جُمُود (jumūd)
• Armenian: կուտակականգ (kutakakang), խռնվածք (hy) (xṙnvackʻ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 交通阻塞 (zh) (jiāotōng zǔsè)

• Czech: zablokování
• Dutch: verkeersinfarct (nl) n, verkeerschaos (nl) m
• Finnish: liikennesuma
• French: paralysie (fr) f, embouteillage (fr) m
• German: Verkehrsinfarkt m, Verkehrskollaps m
• Hebrew: רשת (he) (réshet)
• Hindi: ग्रिडलॉक (griḍlŏk)
• Hungarian: óriási dugó, megbénult forgalom
• Icelandic: sundrung f
• Irish: tranglam tráchta m
• Italian: ingorgo (it) m
• Japanese: 交通渋滞 (ja) (こうつうじゅうたい, kōtsū jūtai), 渋滞 (ja) (じゅうたい, jūtai)
• Korean: 교착 상태 (gyochak sangtae)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: trafikkork (no) m, kork (no) m

• Persian: راه‌بندان (râh-bandân)
• Portuguese: engarrafamento (pt) m
• Russian: зато́р (ru) m (zatór)
• Spanish: embotellamiento (es) m, atasco (es) m
• Swedish: totalstopp (sv) n
• Ukrainian: затор (uk) (zator)
• Vietnamese: khóa lưới

on a smaller scale

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: խցանում (hy) (xcʻanum)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 塞車／塞车 (zh) (sāichē)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: opstopping (nl) f, verkeersopstopping (nl) f
• Finnish: tukos (fi)
• French: embouteillage (fr) m
• German: Stau (de) m
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: forgalmi dugó (hu), (közlekedési) dugó, torlódás (hu), (minor) fennakadás (hu), elakadás (hu)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 渋滞 (ja) (じゅうたい, jūtai), 雑踏 (ja) (ざっとう, zattō), 雑沓 (ja) (ざっとう, zattō)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kø (no) m, kork (no) m

• Portuguese: engarrafamento (pt) m
• Russian: про́бка (ru) f (próbka), зато́р (ru) m (zatór)
• Spanish: atasco (es) m
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

deadlock

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: փակուղի (hy) (pʻakuġi), մեռյալ կետ (hy) (meṙyal ket)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 僵局 (zh) (jiāngjú)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: impasse (nl) m, patstelling (nl) f
• Finnish: suma (fi), umpikuja (fi)
• French: impasse (fr) m, interblocage (fr)
• Georgian: გამოუვალი სიტუაცია (gamouvali siṭuacia), გამოუვალი მდგომარეობა (gamouvali mdgomareoba), ჩიხი (ka) (čixi)
• German: Stillstand (de) m
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: holtpont (hu), patthelyzet (hu)
• Irish: sáinn f
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: 停滞 (ja) (ていたい, teitai)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: impasse (pt) m
• Russian: тупи́к (ru) m (tupík), засто́й (ru) m (zastój), мёртвая то́чка f (mjórtvaja tóčka)
• Spanish: paralización
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Verb

gridlock (third-person singular simple present gridlocks, present participle gridlocking, simple past and past participle gridlocked)

1. To cause traffic congestion.

See also

• deadlock

References

• gridlock on Wikipedia.Wikipedia