impasse

noun

im·​passe ˈim-ˌpas How to pronounce impasse (audio)
im-ˈpas
1
a
: a predicament affording no obvious escape
b
2
: an impassable road or way : cul-de-sac

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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The jury of six men and six women declared themselves at an impasse after multiple days of deliberation, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on all three charges. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 18 June 2025 But the talks have been at an impasse, as competing proposals have created a rift between the three states in the river’s lower basin — California, Arizona and Nevada — and the four states in the river’s upper basin — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025 The negotiations have become increasingly strained in recent weeks and appear to have reached an impasse over the levels of enriched uranium. Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025 The Context Tensions in the region have escalated in recent days, as talks between the U.S. and Iran have reached an impasse. Sonam Sheth gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for impasse

Word History

Etymology

French, from in- + passer to pass

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of impasse was in 1851

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impasse. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

impasse

noun
im·​passe ˈim-ˌpas How to pronounce impasse (audio)
im-ˈpas
: a situation from which it seems impossible to escape
especially : deadlock

Legal Definition

impasse

noun
im·​passe ˈim-ˌpas, im-ˈpas How to pronounce impasse (audio)
: a point in especially labor negotiations at which reaching an agreement is impossible because neither party is willing to compromise or change position

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