deadline

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The latest date or time by which a task must be finished or handed in.

   Grammar: Countable: a tight deadline; meet, miss or beat a deadline.

   Patterns

   • a deadline for something
   • meet a deadline
   • miss a deadline

   The deadline for applications is Friday.

   She worked all weekend to meet the deadline.

   We missed the deadline by one day.

2. 2nouncountablebusiness

   A limit set for an action, after which a penalty or end follows, as in negotiations or contracts.

   Grammar: Often set by one side: the deadline passes.

   Patterns

   • set a deadline
   • extend a deadline

   The union set a deadline for talks.

   The deadline passed with no agreement.

   The bank extended the deadline by a month.

Word forms

Common combinations

meet a deadline

The team worked late to meet the deadline.

tight deadline

We are working to a tight deadline.

miss a deadline

If you miss the deadline, you lose points.

extend a deadline

The editor agreed to extend the deadline.

under deadline pressure

Journalists often work under deadline pressure.

set a deadline

Set a deadline for each stage of the project.

Synonyms and how they differ

cutoff

Cutoff is the exact point after which something is no longer accepted, and sounds a bit stricter.

time limit

Time limit is a general term for any length of time allowed, not necessarily a fixed date.

due date

Due date is the day something is owed, and is common in school or billing.

target date

A target date is a goal that can be missed, whereas a deadline is firm.

Word family

deadlock noun

A situation where no progress is possible; a different compound with dead.

Commonly confused: deadline or dateline?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “deadline”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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