impasse

American  

[im-pas, im-pas] / ˈɪm pæs, ɪmˈpæs /

noun

• impasses
  plural

1. a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.

   Synonyms:

   dead end, standoff, standstill, stalemate

2. a road or way that has no outlet; cul-de-sac.

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impasse British  

/ ˈæmpɑːs, ɪmˈpɑːs, æmˈpɑːs, ˈɪmpɑːs /

noun

1. a situation in which progress is blocked; an insurmountable difficulty; stalemate; deadlock

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• impasses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of impasse

1850–55; < French, equivalent to im- im- ² + -passe, stem of passer to pass

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Explanation

When two huge semi trailers met face-to-face on a one-lane mountain road, the drivers jumped out of their cabs and exclaimed, "We're at an impasse! We can't move forward — we can only reverse and go back in the direction from which we came." If you investigate impasse a little more closely, you'll discover passer, the French word for to pass. The im- prefix is a negative, meaning that there's no way any passing is going to occur. It's impossible. An impasse is any situation in which the parties involved can't, or won't, move forward or make any sort of progress. Either they are literally stuck, like two big trucks trying to pass each other on a narrow road, or they are figuratively stuck, as in two politicians who are unable to reach an agreement on a new policy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

impasse impasses

The impasse tends to occur when managers fall into what I call the “sole provider” trap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

But if a gap remains and an impasse ultimately is declared, the supervisors no longer would dictate the final offer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The discussions prompted the union representing over 9,000 of the automaker’s Canadian employees to declare an impasse on talks toward a new labor deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

“We are at an impasse then,” said the man in black.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Jolie herself has met impasses like this her entire life, and it’s that air of empathy that makes “Couture” so disarmingly intimate.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

He has appealed to Spaniards to give him enough votes to "end the impasses" in the country's politics.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2023

Partners try to resolve such impasses by digging in and working hard to convince the other of their own position, becoming further polarized.

From New York Times ● May 16, 2023

However the mandatory coalition of rivals has collapsed several times since then for a number of reasons, with the longest impasses lasting from 2002 to 2007 and from 2017 to 2020.

From Reuters ● Feb. 10, 2023

The main streets branch out into thousands of impasses each ending in a locked door.

From The Luck of Thirteen Wanderings and Flight through Montenegro and Serbia by Cora Gordon

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Related Words

• deadlock
• dilemma
• gridlock
• predicament
• standoff
• standstill

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