1
a
: a predicament affording no obvious escape
b
: deadlock
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
As Republicans reject Democratic demands for health care funds, there’s no sign of a break in the impasse, but Trump seems to be continuing on with business as usual, including his foreign trip.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Otherwise, the federal government has suspended all data compilation and releases until the fiscal impasse in Washington is settled.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The vote impasse The dispute over elections that are due by May hangs over Somalia.
—Omar S Mahmood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Beijing has publicly stood firm on the policy, leaving the two sides at an impasse with massive implications for the price of consumer goods imported from China.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Otherwise, the federal government has suspended all data compilation and releases until the fiscal impasse in Washington is settled.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The vote impasse The dispute over elections that are due by May hangs over Somalia.
—Omar S Mahmood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Beijing has publicly stood firm on the policy, leaving the two sides at an impasse with massive implications for the price of consumer goods imported from China.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 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 29 Oct. 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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