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
Google and Fox fought over contracts last month, and earlier in October, NBCUniversal encountered a similar impasse with Google.
—Chris Sims, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025
The streaming service lost 21 channels after the live TV provider's contract dispute with The Walt Disney Company ended in an impasse.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
While the shutdown is starting to threaten millions of Americans—including many who may not receive food stamp benefits next month—Democrats and Republicans are still at an impasse over the spending bill.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Officials have warned that food stamp benefits are slated to end for millions of Americans this weekend due to the impasse.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Chris Sims, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025
The streaming service lost 21 channels after the live TV provider's contract dispute with The Walt Disney Company ended in an impasse.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Oct. 2025
While the shutdown is starting to threaten millions of Americans—including many who may not receive food stamp benefits next month—Democrats and Republicans are still at an impasse over the spending bill.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Officials have warned that food stamp benefits are slated to end for millions of Americans this weekend due to the impasse.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
Cite this Entry
“Impasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impasse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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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