1
a
: a predicament affording no obvious escape
an impossible impasse in which accepting a pardon meant admitting guilt
b
: deadlock
Negotiations are at an impasse.
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.
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
The district and the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association had been at impasse since November.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that Spirit is preparing to cease operations after hitting an impasse in talks with some creditors on a $500 million government bailout plan.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Iran has only accelerated efforts to retrieve its munitions in recent days as the potential for the war to resume increases with peace negotiations at an apparent impasse, the sources said.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The chamber passed the legislation through voice vote with little fanfare, a sign that lawmakers were finally ready to put the impasse behind them.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that Spirit is preparing to cease operations after hitting an impasse in talks with some creditors on a $500 million government bailout plan.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Iran has only accelerated efforts to retrieve its munitions in recent days as the potential for the war to resume increases with peace negotiations at an apparent impasse, the sources said.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 1 May 2026
The chamber passed the legislation through voice vote with little fanfare, a sign that lawmakers were finally ready to put the impasse behind them.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impasse
Cite this Entry
“Impasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impasse. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
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
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