Thesaurus results for IMPASSES

impasses

noun

plural of impasse

as in halts

a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in in their bitter custody battle, the divorcing couple are at a total impasse

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Relevance

as in dilemmas

a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape the impossible impasse faced by those who opposed the war but did not want to seem disloyal to the troops

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of impasses While controllers may not be caught in the latest political game of chicken, proactively protecting these federal employees from paycheck lapses would prevent additional airport chaos during future funding impasses. —

Jackson Shedelbower, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026 The problems during the latest shutdown are renewing attention to ways to prevent airport security operations from being slowed during political impasses, including allowing more airports to outsource security screening while maintaining TSA oversight. —

John Seewer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026 Some of the money is frozen due to budgetary or legal impasses. —

Caio Delcolli, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025 Such impasses typically end when one party decides the political costs of keeping the government closed outweigh the concessions of opening it. —

Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025 YouTube has navigated similar impasses with other entertainment companies this year. —

Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025 Similar sticking points have led to impasses in the separate negotiation processes, now requiring a third party to assist with mediation and fact-finding. —

Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025 Another reason is that these funding impasses are often covered by the media. —

W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impasses

Noun

Former leaders warn that the loss of institutional knowledge, combined with halts to the incoming pipeline of public health workers, may lead to a long-term crisis.

— Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Automotive industry analysts are forecasting that another microchip shortage could hit in the coming months, which could increase risks for production halts as costs skyrocket.

— Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026