Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A time limit, as for payment of a debt or completion of an assignment.
  • noun A boundary line in a prison that prisoners can cross only at the risk of being shot.
  • transitive verb To govern by setting a time limit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A date on or before which something must be completed.
  • noun archaic A guideline marked on a plate for a printing press.
  • noun archaic A line which doesn't move.
  • noun archaic A boundary around a prison.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the point in time at which something must be completed

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

The context of a due date originated in journalism, probably from an earlier usage in printing, representing a guideline marked on a plate for a printing press (inside which all content should appear). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, early usage refers simply to lines that do not move, such as one used in angling; slightly later American usage includes a boundary around a prison which prisoners must not cross.

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Examples

  • * ` event Project deadline; 13.02.2010 ` - create new event with summary \ "Project deadline\" for 13.02.2010;

    KDE-Apps.org Content 2010

  • The deadline is short for getting an agreement, and I think one of the things that we have consistently said is that rhetoric of that kind does not positively contribute to an ultimate solution here.

    Press Briefing By Joe Lockhart ITY National Archives 2000

  • Federal law states "that no repayment of an (extended federal benefits) overpayment may be required, and no deduction may be made, until a determination has been issued and an opportunity for a fair hearing has been given to the individual concerned, and the determination has become final." deadline is short for right to appeal

    RGJ.com - Latest News By Frank X. Mullen Jr. fmullen@rgj.com 2009

  • Writer Ethan Brown was in the Miami studio where Tim stayed up all night waiting for the rapper to finish recording his verses in New York; in the end, they missed the label deadline for

    Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch 2009

  • Now that the pressure of the deadline is a little bit alleviated, I think I can actually produce something really good for this anthology.

    At least my car is clean : Bev Vincent 2009

  • Since the deadline is approaching, you should probably do that now.

    John Joseph Adams » 2009 » January 2009

  • "The political dynamics are such that they can't close a deal before the deadline — and the deadline is the president arriving in Seoul," said Karan Bhatia, a former Bush administration trade official who negotiated the South Korea deal.

    U.S., Korea Move to Revive Stalled Free-Trade Pact as Deadline Nears Elizabeth Williamson 2010

  • Since the deadline is approaching, you should probably do that now.

    John Joseph Adams » Hugo Award Nominating Deadlines 2009

  • Second, when we finally do put our hands to the task, the deadline is almost upon us and we are forced to rush.

    Procrastination, Part III: How to Defeat Yourself In One Easy Step Ulysses 2009

  • Second, when we finally do put our hands to the task, the deadline is almost upon us and we are forced to rush.

    Archive 2009-02-01 Ulysses 2009

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