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Meaning & use

cul-de-sac

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkʌl də sæk/
US/ˈkʌl də ˌsæk/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A residential street with only one way in and no way through at the other end.

    Grammar: Countable: live on a cul-de-sac.

    Patterns

    • at the end of a cul-de-sac
    • live on a cul-de-sac

    The children play ball in the cul-de-sac.

    We live at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.

    The taxi turned into a cul-de-sac by mistake.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A situation or course of action that leads nowhere and cannot go further.

    Grammar: A figurative use, similar to dead end.

    Patterns

    • end up in a cul-de-sac

    The peace talks ended up in a cul-de-sac.

    His career had reached a cul-de-sac.

    The investigation hit a cul-de-sac when the witness vanished.

  3. nouncountablemedicaltechnical

    A sac or tube in the body that is closed at one end.

    Grammar: An anatomical term: the pouch of Douglas is a cul-de-sac.

    Fluid collected in the cul-de-sac of the pelvis.

    The surgeon described a cul-de-sac in the intestine.

Word forms

pluralculs-de-sac or cul-de-sacs

Common combinations

quiet cul-de-sac
They bought a house on a quiet cul-de-sac.
end of the cul-de-sac
Park at the end of the cul-de-sac.
residential cul-de-sac
The residential cul-de-sac has ten houses.
turn into a cul-de-sac
The talks turned into a cul-de-sac.
in a cul-de-sac
Policy debate is stuck in a cul-de-sac.

Synonyms and how they differ

dead end
Dead end is the common American phrase for a street with no exit, and it is used more freely than cul-de-sac for situations.
close
Close is British and often used in street names, while cul-de-sac names the type of street itself.
blind alley
Blind alley is mainly figurative and suggests a pointless path, rather than a pleasant residential street.
impasse
Impasse describes a deadlock in talks or action, not a road.

Opposites

thoroughfarethrough road

Word family

culs-de-sac noun
the formal plural
sac noun
a bag-shaped part of a plant or animal
dead end noun
the common English equivalent

Commonly confused: cul-de-sac or coup de grâce?

cul-de-sac vs coup de grâce

Coup de grâce is another French phrase, meaning a final blow. It has no connection to streets.

Practice

Our neighbors love the ___ because there is almost no traffic and the children can play outside.

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