impassable
adjective
im·pass·able
(ˌ)im-ˈpa-sə-bəl 
variants
or less commonly impassible
: incapable of being passed, traveled, crossed, or surmounted
Examples of impassable in a Sentence
The roads were made impassable by the flood.
the road was impassable until snowplows cleared it
Recent Examples on the Web
Immediate river roads may become impassable in all of these communities.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
Derelict culverts both threaten the integrity of roads and block fish migrations; on one stream in western Washington, for example, a series of too-narrow, impassable culverts prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds, violating the fishing rights of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
—Ben Goldfarb, Vox, 14 Mar. 2025
Montana's Department of Transportation warns that road conditions could become impassable in higher elevations, with whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
After Hurricane Helene: Helping others, one barbecue plate at a time
With roads impassable and many still without power or communication, Hooper and his team decided to start giving away food.
—Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impassable
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Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
Derelict culverts both threaten the integrity of roads and block fish migrations; on one stream in western Washington, for example, a series of too-narrow, impassable culverts prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds, violating the fishing rights of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
—Ben Goldfarb, Vox, 14 Mar. 2025
Montana's Department of Transportation warns that road conditions could become impassable in higher elevations, with whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
After Hurricane Helene: Helping others, one barbecue plate at a time
With roads impassable and many still without power or communication, Hooper and his team decided to start giving away food.
—Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impassable
Cite this Entry
“Impassable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impassable. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
impassable
adjective
im·pass·able
(ˈ)im-ˈpas-ə-bəl
: impossible to pass, cross, or travel over
roads made impassable by the hurricane
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