bring to a dead end

bring (someone or something) to a dead end

To lead to an impasse; to lead to a point where no more progress is possible. The phrase can be literal or figurative. Because the GPS brought us to a dead end, we'll have to turn around and take that side road. Investigating that theory has brought my research to a dead end—every experiment I've tried so far has failed. If you keep doing the same thing over and over, yeah, it'll bring you to a dead end eventually. You've got to try a different method

See also: bring, dead, end, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bring something to a dead end

to cause something to reach a point from which it can go no further. The accident brought the project to a dead end. The study was brought to a dead end by the loss of federal funding.

See also: bring, dead, end, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.