BLIND ALLEY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blind alley mean? 

• BLIND ALLEY (noun)
  The noun BLIND ALLEY has 2 senses:

1. a street with only one way in or out

2. (figurative) a course of action that is unproductive and offers no hope of improvement

  Familiarity information: BLIND ALLEY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLIND ALLEY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A street with only one way in or out

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

blind alley; cul de sac; dead-end street; impasse

Hypernyms ("blind alley" is a kind of...):

thoroughfare (a public road from one place to another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(figurative) a course of action that is unproductive and offers no hope of improvement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

so far every road that we've been down has turned out to be a blind alley

Hypernyms ("blind alley" is a kind of...):

course; course of action (a mode of action)

Domain usage:

figure; figure of speech; image; trope (language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense)