deadline
deadline Lexical Profile
deadline Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The latest time or date by which a task, project, or assignment must be completed or submitted.
"The editorial team worked through the weekend to meet the Monday morning deadline for the magazine issue."
Historically, a boundary line around or within a military prison beyond which prisoners were liable to be shot if they crossed.
"Guards patrolled the perimeter of the stockade, watching closely to ensure no prisoner stepped across the deadline."
• verb
To set a time limit or final due date for the completion of (a task or project).
"The publisher deadlined the final manuscript for the end of October."
American To remove (a vehicle, aircraft, or piece of equipment) from active service for maintenance or repair (especially in military usage).
"The mechanics deadlined the transport truck after discovering a crack in the rear axle."
• Rhymes for deadline
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 1860s during the American Civil War, originally referring to a physical boundary line inside military prison camps (most notably Andersonville) that prisoners were shot for crossing. By the early 20th century, newspaper journalists adopted the term for the latest time copy could be submitted before printing.