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
Iran still has enriched uranium and retains enough combat effectiveness to keep the conflict locked in an impasse, while Iran’s hard-line government is still in charge.
—Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Staff and administrators are at an impasse over wages and workload after 37 bargaining sessions.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
That seemingly rules out a new Iranian proposal to end the war and reopen the strait without resolving the impasse over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
The impasse was prompted by congressional Democrats' demands for immigration enforcement reforms after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Staff and administrators are at an impasse over wages and workload after 37 bargaining sessions.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
That seemingly rules out a new Iranian proposal to end the war and reopen the strait without resolving the impasse over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
The impasse was prompted by congressional Democrats' demands for immigration enforcement reforms after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 Apr. 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 1 May. 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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