🗓️ Idiom: A Dead End (n)
💬 Meaning
- A situation with no progress, success, or future potential.
- A path that leads nowhere and wastes time or resources.
🧠 Example Sentences
- After months of development, they realised the app idea was a dead end.
- The startup hit a dead end when they couldn’t find a sustainable revenue model.
- Investing more money into that product line felt like chasing a dead end.
🏛️ Origin
The term “dead end” originally referred to a road or street with no exit. Over time, it started being used metaphorically for any situation with no way forward, especially in careers or business strategies.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
They stopped the project when it became clear it was a __________ with no future potential.
Answer
dead end
2. Choose the correct meaning:
What does “a dead end” mean in business?
A) A creative idea
B) A successful strategy
C) A situation with no future
Answer
C) A situation with no future
3. Change the sentence using “a dead end”:
“Their marketing strategy wasn’t working and had no potential to improve.”
Answer
Their marketing strategy was a dead.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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👉 Entrepreneur and Startup Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
