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impasse

American  
[im-pas, im-pas] / ˈɪm pæs, ɪmˈpæs /

noun

  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.

impasse British  
/ ˈæmpɑːs, ɪmˈpɑːs, æmˈpɑːs, ˈɪmpɑːs /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of impasse

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Suspecting they were at an impasse, Pentagon officials accelerated discussions with Anthropic’s main rival.

From The Wall Street Journal

Find insight on the jump in oil prices, OPEC+, the Petronas-Petros impasse and more in the latest Market Talks covering Energy and Utilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Altman waded into the standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon over the use of AI on the battlefield, telling his staff that the company was working on a deal that might help solve the impasse.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dozens of California school districts are in talks, with some already at an impasse or in mediation.

From The Wall Street Journal

The emptying of al-Hol ends a military and diplomatic impasse that long frustrated the U.S. and other world powers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.