beco sem saída
masculine
The English phrase 'dead end' can be translated into Portuguese as beco sem saída. Wiktionary also lists rua sem saída and cul-de-sac.
Meaning: street or path that goes nowhere (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| beco sem saída | masculine | |
| rua sem saída | feminine | |
| cul-de-sac | /ˌkuw.d͡ʒiˈsa.ki/ (Brazil) /ˌkul.dɨˈsak/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
The term refers to a street or path that goes nowhere.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase beco sem saída literally translates to 'alley without exit'.
Which one should you use?
Use beco sem saída when referring to a narrow path, alley or a metaphorical dead end, whereas rua sem saída is specifically used for a dead-end street.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
cul-de-sac is a more formal or technical term used in urban planning or high-register writing compared to the common beco sem saída.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain areas of Brazil, viela sem saída and travessa sem saída are used to denote a dead end within an alleyway or side street.
How does it change in a sentence?
When pluralizing rua sem saída, only the noun rua changes to ruas. The prepositional phrase sem saída remains unchanged.
Did you know?
- While cul-de-sac is used in Portuguese urban planning, it is an unadapted loanword from French. In its original French, cul is a blunt or vulgar term for the buttocks.
- In Brazilian urban slang, a beco or viela often implies a shortcut through a favela or a dense neighborhood, making beco sem saída a potentially stressful discovery for a stranger.
Examples in context
- É um beco sem saída.It's a dead end.Tatoeba #2616825 by alexmarcelo, translation #2176 by CK
- Não moro numa rua sem saída.I don't live in a dead-end street.Tatoeba #11052158 by bill, translation #11051822 by sundown
- Uma singularidade é um beco sem saída termodinâmico e não explica a origem do universo.A singularity is a thermodynamic dead end and does not explain the origin of the universe.Tatoeba #10600512 by carlosalberto, translation #10600501 by carlosalberto
- Ao final da rua, encontramos uma rua sem saída.At the end of the street, we found a dead end.
- Andamos pelo beco e, no final, encontramos um beco sem saída.We walked through the alley, and at the end, we found a dead end.
- Seguimos por aquele beco, mas no final só havia um beco sem saída.We went through that alley, but in the end, there was only a dead end.
- Quando chegamos ao final da rua, percebemos que era uma rua sem saída.When we reached the end of the street, we realized it was a dead end.
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Juliana are looking at a map while walking in a new neighborhood.
- RodrigoEste caminho é um beco sem saída?Is this path a dead end?
- JulianaSim, Rodrigo, não dá para passar.Yes, Rodrigo, we can't go through.
- RodrigoO GPS me levou para um beco sem saída.The GPS led me to a dead end.
- JulianaVamos dar a volta pelo outro lado.Let's go around the other way.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dead end” translations and entries beco sem saída, rua sem saída, cul-de-sac, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beco, beco sem saída, cul-de-sac, rua, rua sem saída, saída, sem, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
