impasse

noun

im·​passe ˈim-ˌpas 

im-ˈpas

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

Synonyms of impasse

• halt
• deadlock
• stalemate

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

The impasse leaves Washington treating its naval presence as a permanent fixture guaranteeing access, while Tehran treats that same presence as the primary obstacle to normalizing traffic. — Chloe Taylor,anniek Bao, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

With the sides still at an impasse in April, Li's party expelled her. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

The impasse was broken only when Emperor Hirohito took the extraordinary step of personally intervening in the political decision-making process—a move virtually unprecedented in modern Japanese history—to demand Japan at last accept surrender. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Maybe peace requires offering Tehran a face-saving way out of the impasse. — Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from in- + passer to pass

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for impasse

• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• jackass
• landmass

Kids Definition

impasse

noun

im·​passe ˈim-ˌpas 

im-ˈpas

: a situation from which it seems impossible to escape

especially : deadlock

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