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
Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 walked off the job Monday after contract negotiations ended in an impasse last week.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Now the Comcast impasse threatens to keep the White Sox off the air on the largest pay-TV provider in the Chicago market, a potentially devastating blow to the fans, the team and the new regional sports network.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
The widow, the lawyer, and the town remain at an impasse.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The property owner has been at an impasse with the Del Mar planning department over local zoning laws for more than two years.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
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Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Now the Comcast impasse threatens to keep the White Sox off the air on the largest pay-TV provider in the Chicago market, a potentially devastating blow to the fans, the team and the new regional sports network.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
The widow, the lawyer, and the town remain at an impasse.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The property owner has been at an impasse with the Del Mar planning department over local zoning laws for more than two years.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 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 17 Apr. 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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