cul-de-sac /ˈkʌl də ˌsæk, ˈkʊl- $ ˌkʌl də ˈsæk, ˌkʊl-/ BrE AmE noun [singular]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: French ; Origin: 'bottom of the bag' ]
1 . a road which is closed at one end, so that there is only one way in and out
2 . an unhelpful situation in which you cannot make any more progress SYN dead end :
These ideas lead us into a philosophical cul-de-sac.
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THESAURUS
■ types of road
▪ road a hard surface for cars, buses etc to drive on:
They're planning to build a new road.
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My address is 42, Station Road.
▪ street a road in a town, with houses or shops on each side:
She lives on our street.
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We walked along the streets of the old town.
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Oxford Street is one of Europe's busiest shopping areas.
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He was stopped by the police, driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
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Turn left on Main Street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in American English) .
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These days the same shops are on every high street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in British English) .
▪ avenue a road in a town, often with trees on each side:
the busy avenue in front of the cathedral
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He lived on Park Avenue.
▪ boulevard a wide road in a city or town – used especially in street names in the US, France etc. In the UK, streets are usually called avenue rather than boulevard :
the world-famous Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
▪ lane a narrow road in the country:
a winding country lane
▪ cul-de-sac a short street which is closed at one end:
The house is situated in a quiet cul-de-sac in North Oxford.
▪ track especially British English , dirt road American English a narrow road in the country, usually without a hard surface:
The farm was down a bumpy track.
▪ ring road British English a road that goes around a town:
The airport is on the ring road.
▪ bypass British English a road that goes past a town, allowing traffic to avoid the centre:
The bypass would take heavy traffic out of the old city centre.
▪ dual carriageway British English , divided highway American English a road with a barrier or strip of land in the middle that has lines of traffic travelling in each direction:
I waited until we were on the dual carriageway before I overtook him.
▪ freeway/expressway American English a very wide road in a city or between cities, on which cars can travel very fast without stopping:
Take the Hollywood Freeway (101) south, exit at Vine Street and drive east on Franklin Avenue.
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Over on the side of the expressway, he saw an enormous sedan, up against a stone wall.
▪ motorway British English , highway American English a very wide road for travelling fast over long distances:
The speed limit on the motorway is 70 miles an hour.
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the Pacific Coast Highway
▪ interstate American English a road for fast traffic that goes between states:
The accident happened on Interstate 84, about 10 miles east of Hartford.
▪ toll road a road that you pay to use:
The government is planning to introduce toll roads, in an effort to cut traffic congestion.
▪ turnpike American English a large road for fast traffic that you pay to use:
He dropped her off at an entrance to the New Jersey Turnpike.