noun / verb · neutral
gridlock
UK/ˈɡrɪdlɒk/US/ˈɡrɪdˌlɑːk/GRID·lock
a situation in which movement is impossible, especially because of severe road traffic
Examples
“The protests caused gridlock in the city centre for several hours.”
“Without better public transport, rush-hour gridlock will only get worse.”
“The accident gridlocked three main roads.”
Band 8 sentence
“A single breakdown at a major junction can trigger gridlock across an entire metropolitan area.”
Collocations
- rush-hour gridlock
- city-wide gridlock
- cause gridlock
Word family
Common mistakes
There was a big grid-lock yesterday.→There was a big gridlock yesterday.
The city was gridlocked because of rainy.→The city was gridlocked because of the heavy rain.
Say it for a higher band
5traffic jam→6standstill→7+gridlock
Synonyms
standstill
Easily confused
traffic jam
“There was a minor traffic jam on the motorway, but downtown was in complete gridlock after the parade.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Transport & Traffic
Learn it with its set