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Definition of "impasse" []

  • A road or passage having no exit; a cul-de-sac. (noun)
  • A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made; a deadlock or a stalemate: reached an impasse in the negotiations. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "impasse" in a sentence
  • "Talks were expected to continue Thursday, and few on either side expected a long-term impasse."
  • "So, breaking that impasse is VERY welcome, essential and well over due."
  • "That was the status quo last Thursday, when, under the collective bargaining laws, the parties meaning the mayor on one side and the unions on the other brought to the commission what is called an "impasse" or stalemate in negotiations, meaning in this case that the parties were deadlocked on one issue, but in agreement on the bulk of the agreement."