1
a
: a predicament affording no obvious escape
b
: deadlock
2
: an impassable road or way : cul-de-sac
Synonyms
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
The tentative agreement marks a significant step forward in resolving the impasse that had threatened to disrupt essential public services provided by the Public Works Department.
—Julia Fomby, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
In some cases, a lack of meaningful reconciliation can cause relationships to wither, leaving both parties at an impasse.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
The bottom line: The House Budget Committee remains at an impasse with Chair Jodey Arrington unable to pass a resolution out of his panel.
—Hans Nichols, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
Phoenix is at an impasse, sitting at .500 and teetering at the bottom of the postseason picture.
—Fred Katz, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for impasse 
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Julia Fomby, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
In some cases, a lack of meaningful reconciliation can cause relationships to wither, leaving both parties at an impasse.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
The bottom line: The House Budget Committee remains at an impasse with Chair Jodey Arrington unable to pass a resolution out of his panel.
—Hans Nichols, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
Phoenix is at an impasse, sitting at .500 and teetering at the bottom of the postseason picture.
—Fred Katz, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for impasse
Dictionary Entries Near impasse
Cite this Entry
“Impasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impasse. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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