From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeadlinedead‧line /ˈdedlaɪn/ ●●○ noun [countable] TIME THAT IS PLANNEDa date or time by which you have to do or complete somethingdeadline for He missed the deadline for applications.deadline of It has to be in before the deadline of July 1st. I'm always working under pressure to meet deadlines (=finish something on time).set/impose a deadline They've set a deadline of 12 noon. a tight/strict deadline (=one that must be met but is difficult)COLLOCATIONSverbshave a deadlineIt's easier to work hard if you have a deadline.work to a deadline (=have to finish something by a deadline)We're all under pressure and working to deadlines.meet a deadline (=finish something by a deadline)Everyone's working extremely hard to meet the deadline.miss a deadline (=fail to finish something by a deadline)There will be penalties if the government misses the deadline to cut air pollution.set a deadline (=decide on a date when something must be finished)The deadline has been set at January 31st.extend a deadline (=make the date or time later than it was before)My editor agreed to extend the deadline by two weeks.a deadline approaches/loomsThings began to get more frantic as the deadline loomed.a deadline passes (=the date or time by which you must do something goes past)The deadline had already passed for him to raise the money.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + deadlinea strict deadline (=a time or date when something must definitely be finished)We're working to a very strict deadline.a tight deadline (=one that is difficult because it does not allow much time to do something)As a journalist, you have to be able to work to tight deadlines.the Friday/December etc deadlineThe project went on long after the December deadline.
Examples from the Corpus
deadline• Working under pressure to meet a deadline had a motivating effect.• Many believe the early deadlines for qualification limited the number of initiatives that made the ballot.• Delegates had set a November deadline for completing the negotiations in Geneva, which began in January 1995.• That deadline is fast approaching, and from the end of December Jubilee 2000 will be no more.• Wilson said he will seek to push back the deadline either through a filing with the court or through an appeal.• I have no fear and, despite the deadline Letterman has conjured up, no sense of urgency.• The deadline to register to vote in the primary is August 18.• The deadlines refer to the time at which the convergence conditions will be examined.From Longman Business Dictionarydeadlinedead‧line /ˈdedlaɪn/ noun [countable] a date or time by which you have to do or to complete somethingSeptember 30 is the deadline for sending in your tax return.I think we need to set a deadline.The financially troubled company didn’t meet yesterday’s deadline for filing its annual report.The Ontario Court extended the deadline for filing its restructuring plan to Jan 31.The successful applicant must have the ability to work to a deadline under pressure.He was known as a demanding boss who imposed tight deadlines. 