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
Parents like de Ayora said the stakes are high for families and students if the impasse continues.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
The final step in the negotiations — an impasse hearing — is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
The timing couldn’t be more pertinent with the second round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US taking place in Abu Dhabi this week in a bid to break the impasse and bring an end to the conflict.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
This looming impasse between baseball and its players’ union stands to make for some intense labor negotiations.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Da Lin, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
The final step in the negotiations — an impasse hearing — is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
The timing couldn’t be more pertinent with the second round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US taking place in Abu Dhabi this week in a bid to break the impasse and bring an end to the conflict.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
This looming impasse between baseball and its players’ union stands to make for some intense labor negotiations.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 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 12 Feb. 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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