/ ˈgrɪdlɒk; NAmE -lɑːk/ noun [ U ]
1.
a situation in which there are so many cars in the streets of a town that the traffic cannot move at all
2.
( usually in politics ) a situation in which people with different opinions are not able to agree with each other and so no action can be taken :
Congress is in gridlock.
► grid·locked adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
1980s (originally US): from grid (in sense 1) + lock become rigidly fixed .