deadline

deadline — noun

1. A specific date or time that is the latest possible point to finish a task, subm

1.nounB1
Definition

A specific date or time that is the latest possible point to finish a task, submit work, or achieve a goal.

Example

The editor gave Ignacio a Friday deadline for his article on climate change.

collocation: deadline for [task]

Sumin worked late into the night to meet the project deadline.

collocation: meet a deadline

Common collocations
  • meet a deadline
  • miss a deadline
  • tight deadline
  • strict deadline
  • deadline for
  • deadline approaches
  • deadline passes
  • set a deadline
  • extend a deadline
  • impose a deadline
  • deadline extension
  • application deadline
  • submission deadline
Synonyms
  • due date

    More common for payments, bills, or assignments; implies a fixed day rather than a specific time.

  • time limit

    Broader in meaning; can refer to a duration (e.g. 30 minutes) rather than a fixed endpoint.

  • cut-off date

    Emphasises the point after which something is no longer accepted; common in registrations and applications.

  • closing date

    Often used for competitions, tenders, or sales periods; slightly more formal.

Antonyms
  • extension

    The extra time granted beyond a deadline, not a direct opposite but the closest counter-concept.

Grammar Patterns

deadline + for + noun/gerund

deadline + to-infinitive

deadline + of + date

Usage Note

Often used with the verbs set, meet, miss, extend, and impose. The preposition for introduces the task or goal that must be completed by the deadline.

Common Mistakes

The dead line for the report is Friday.
The deadline for the report is Friday.
'deadline' is a single compound word, not two separate words.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Deadline is the most general and common term for a fixed time by which something must be finished — it is used across work, school, and daily life. Due date overlaps but is preferred for payments, library books, or assignments (the date something is owed). Time limit is broader: it can refer to a duration (e.g. a 60-minute exam time limit) rather than a specific date or hour. Cut-off date is narrower and often implies 'no submissions accepted after this point' — common for contest entries, scholarship applications, or billing cycles. For example: 'The deadline for the report is Friday at 5 PM' is natural, while 'The cut-off date for applications is January 31' suggests a hard stop with no exceptions.

deadline ↗due datetime limitcut-off date

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • meet a deadline
  • miss a deadline
  • set a deadline
  • extend a deadline
  • tight deadline
  • deadline extension

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Deadline originally referred to a literal line drawn around a Civil War prison camp in 1864 — any prisoner who crossed it risked being shot dead. By the 1920s, the term moved into newspaper publishing, where it marked the time after which no new copy would be accepted for an edition. From there, it broadened into general use for any fixed time limit.