deadline

dead-line · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    The latest time or date by which something must be completed.

  2. 2.

    (historical) A line drawn around a prison beyond which prisoners were liable to be shot.

Forms

plural: deadlines

Related words

See also: due, schedule, time
Synonyms: cutoff, due date, time limit

Etymology

Originally American Civil War prison slang for a line around a prison compound beyond which prisoners would be shot. The modern figurative sense of "time limit" emerged in the early 20th century, particularly in journalism.