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
One officer in Nashville and his wife have suffered health issues since the fall impasse because of the stress.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Washington — The Senate failed again on Thursday to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, with the impasse growing increasingly acrimonious nearly a month into the partial shutdown.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Congressional lawmakers remain at an impasse, trading blame as Republicans pushed back this week on a Democratic proposal to fund federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, with the exceptions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The impasse has triggered the partial shutdown of the department, which also affects the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Washington — The Senate failed again on Thursday to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, with the impasse growing increasingly acrimonious nearly a month into the partial shutdown.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Congressional lawmakers remain at an impasse, trading blame as Republicans pushed back this week on a Democratic proposal to fund federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, with the exceptions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The impasse has triggered the partial shutdown of the department, which also affects the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 11 Mar. 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 17 Mar. 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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