Final answer:
A deadlock occurs when two or more processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for one of the others to do something.
Step-by-step explanation:
The situation described in the question is known as a deadlock. A deadlock occurs when multiple processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for another process to release a resource.
For example, let's say process A is waiting for a lock held by process B, while process B is waiting for a lock held by process A. In this case, both processes are stuck in a deadlock and cannot progress.
Deadlocks can be prevented or resolved using various techniques, such as resource allocation strategies, deadlock detection algorithms, and deadlock avoidance algorithms.