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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.

The former president's remains are still in South Africa as the impasse continues.

From BBC

The impasse has not prevented the European Union's fourth-largest economy from growing much faster than its peers.

From Barron's

It’s at this impasse that Freyne and Cunnane’s screenplay starts to spin its wheels trying to find the right intersection between comedy and romance.

From Salon

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is still catching up on numbers it couldn’t compile during the spending impasse, including October job-creation figures, which are now coming next month.

From The Wall Street Journal

Federal statistics agencies are still in catch-up mode two weeks after the impasse ended.

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.