impassable

play

adjective im·pass·able \(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl\

variants: or less commonly

impassible

Definition of impassable

: incapable of being passed, traveled, crossed, or surmounted

impassability

play \(ˌ)im-ˌpa-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

impassableness

play \(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl-nəs\ noun

impassably

play \(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-blē\ adverb

See impassable defined for English-language learners

See impassable defined for kids

Examples of impassable in a Sentence

The roads were made impassable by the flood.
the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it

Recent Examples of impassable from the Web

The Madisonville branch of the St. Tammany Parish Library re-opened at 9 a.m. It had been closed due to high water making the surrounding roadways impassable to most vehicles.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "St. Tammany begins cleanup from Tropical Storm Cindy", 23 June 2017
Santa Rosa County officials reported flooding had already made some roads impassable.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Cindy slams Florida Panhandle with heavy rain", 21 June 2017
With most of the businesses and residents living along the road, few tourists venture into the interior. Unceasing rain that damaged the support system rendered the Pfeiffer bridge impassable.

— augie martin, CNN, "The Big Sur 'island': Life no paradise for those cut off by storms, landslides", 20 June 2017
And the party is still in real danger of hitting an impassable roadblock of its own making when lawmakers return to town after the Memorial Day recess.

— paige winfield cunningham, Washington Post, "The Health 202: Why Republicans won't go nuclear even for Obamacare repeal", 31 May 2017
The hope is that the service will also help alleviate crowding in the parking lot at the base of the falls, which can become impassable on busy weekends.

— kale williams, OregonLive.com, "Shuttle service from Portland to Multnomah Falls returns for summer", 26 May 2017
There are piles of rubble so high that entire streets remain impassable.

— anna diamond, The Atlantic, "Rediscovering Aleppo and Deciphering the Caliphate: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing", 26 May 2017
There are piles of rubble so high that entire streets remain impassable.

— robert f. worth, New York Times, "Aleppo After the Fall", 24 May 2017
But Turer has his doubts that those relocations will take place: several structures are on the far side of the nearly-impassable Tigris River, and time might be too short.

— rachel brown, National Geographic, "This Medieval Tomb Weighs 1,100 Tons. Watch Workers Move it On Wheels", 23 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impassable'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of impassable

1562

IMPASSABLE Defined for English Language Learners

impassable

play

adjective

Definition of impassable for English Language Learners

: impossible to pass, cross, or travel over

IMPASSABLE Defined for Kids

impassable

adjective im·pass·able \im-ˈpa-sə-bəl\

Definition of impassable for Students

: impossible to pass, cross, or travel … the forest road … led to impassable marshes where the paths had long been lost. — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit