From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgridlockgrid‧lock /ˈɡrɪdlɒk $ -lɑːk/ noun [uncountable] especially American English 1 TTRa situation in which streets in a city are so full of cars that they cannot move2 PROGRESSa situation in which nothing can happen, usually because people disagree strongly SYN stalemate The battle over spending led to gridlock. —gridlocked adjective
Examples from the Corpus
gridlock• In the new Washington fewer laws will be passed, and gridlock will be a frequent problem.• Demanding that opposition victories in Nov. 17 municipal elections be respected, the protesters created deliberate gridlock.• If gridlock was a hallmark of the Legislature during this era, so was corruption.• The average commuter spends the equivalent of 3.5 days in gridlock every year.• The United States faces years of indecisive government, with Washington paralysed by score-settling and legislative gridlock.• Outside, the Talbot Horizon was cooling its smug self after bunny-hopping me through the north London gridlock.• Only better public transport, according to the new consensus, can save the city centres from the threat of gridlock.• The gridlock that characterized the Lamm years was about to end.• Any car that stopped received a honking as if this were New York gridlock. 