impasse

noun im·passe \ ˈim-ˌpas , im-ˈpas \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

1 a : a predicament affording no obvious escape

b : deadlock

2 : an impassable road or way : cul-de-sac

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See impasse defined for kids

Examples of impasse in a Sentence

The players are poised to strike after Thursday's games because they believe, with good reason, that if no agreement is reached by the end of the post-season, the owners will declare an impasse … —Murray Chass, New York Times, 9 Aug. 1994
We seem to have been forced into an impasse. We need to understand why space-time singularities have the structures that they appear to have; but space-time singularities are regions where our understanding of physics has reached its limits. —Roger Penrose, The Emperor's New Mind, 1989
I think the civil rights movement in its early and middle years offered the best way out of America's racial impasse: in this society, race must not be a source of advantage or disadvantage for anyone. —Shelby Steele, Harper's, June 1988
An arbitrator was called in to break the impasse.
She had reached an impasse in her career.

Recent Examples of impasse from the Web

Like its 66 counterparts, Bucks County was enduring yet another state budget impasse a few years back and the attendant uncertainty over state funding.

— michaelle bond, Philly.com, "How Pa. governments are cutting paperwork, costs, and getting some cash back," 9 Apr. 2018
His refusal to turn himself in created a tense impasse between authorities and the one of the country’s most famous political icons.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Former Brazil leader ends standoff over arrest," 7 Apr. 2018
That such an impasse can persist is in part due to the design of the Good Friday Agreement, which intentionally provided a plethora of constitutional vetoes to protect each side against the other.

— The Economist, "Twenty years after a peace deal the mood is sour in Northern Ireland," 28 Mar. 2018
The stakes have changed over time, with both parties seeking out more comprehensive solutions the other couldn't abide, but the impasse remains.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "What's not in the omnibus is what matters most," 22 Mar. 2018
The impasse is likely to hamstring train travel, affecting multiple domestic lines including the high-speed TGV, regional TER, and the Intercités line that carries some 100,000 passengers a day.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "Air and Rail Strikes Disrupt Travel Around France," 20 Mar. 2018
The haggling has, in fact, been underway for nearly two years, but the impasse has sparked frustration and debate in the U.K. Parliament after more than 114,000 people signed a petition demanding coverage.

— ed silverman, STAT, "Vertex battles with the U.K. over the price of its cystic fibrosis drug," 20 Mar. 2018
The impasse over how to close a $700 million budget gap has even forced LCMC, the operator of UMC, to consider walking away from operating the facility starting on July 1, if the state isn't able to resolve the funding crisis.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "The looming budget crisis in Louisiana could leave us with fewer doctors," 17 Mar. 2018
SUBSCRIBE NOW Legal experts said Pruitt's comments suggest an impasse over greenhouse gas rules that could wind up with California suing the federal government.

— dale kasler, sacbee, "Trump administration signals fight with California over pollution from cars | The Sacramento Bee," 13 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of impasse

French, from in- + passer to pass

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1851

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

impasse Synonyms

Synonyms

bind, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, jam, mire, pickle, predicament, quagmire, spot;

Related Words

difficulty, node;

hot water, soup;

pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble;

deadlock, halt, logjam, stalemate, standstill;

clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, strait;

Phrases

kettle of fish;

IMPASSE Defined for English Language Learners

impasse

noun

: a situation in which no progress seems possible

Law Dictionary

impasse

noun im·passe \ ˈim-ˌpas, im-ˈpas \

: a point in especially labor negotiations at which reaching an agreement is impossible because neither party is willing to compromise or change position