1
as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
in their bitter custody battle, the divorcing couple are at a total impasse
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2
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
the impossible impasse faced by those who opposed the war but did not want to seem disloyal to the troops
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impasse
But by the end of a negotiations session on Friday, management declared an impasse in bargaining over the layoffs issue, which Bobrowski claimed wasn’t possible when so many issues were left on the table at the time.
—
Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
The impasse between Iman and his daughters develops from religious skepticism that rocks the family, eventually destroying trust, affection, and Iran itself.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Hamas on Friday published the names of three more hostages to be released, signaling that an impasse over the immediate future of the cease-fire with Israel had been overcome after days of recriminations between the two sides.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
As some states have refused to comply with President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bans trans athletes in girls' and women's sports, New York is at an impasse over the issue.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
The impasse between Iman and his daughters develops from religious skepticism that rocks the family, eventually destroying trust, affection, and Iran itself.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Hamas on Friday published the names of three more hostages to be released, signaling that an impasse over the immediate future of the cease-fire with Israel had been overcome after days of recriminations between the two sides.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
As some states have refused to comply with President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bans trans athletes in girls' and women's sports, New York is at an impasse over the issue.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impasse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impasse
Noun
-
Zelensky on Friday won the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Ukraine’s proposals to take some first steps toward stopping the war, including a halt on firing missiles, drones and bombs at energy and other civilian infrastructure.—
Illia Novikov and Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2025
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While domestic production of weapons covers nearly 30% of Ukraine's military needs, a prolonged halt in U.S. aid would pose considerable risks for the country in the final phase of the war.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Now, there are clearly two ways out of this predicament for Leeds United.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Is there a way out of our divided country’s seemingly hopeless predicament?—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
After the Spartans tied the match a little later, Menlo’s leading scorer Roya Rezaee headed in a corner kick from Krista Arreola to break the 1-1 deadlock.—
Mike Lefkow,
The Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The jury’s deadlock on McClain’s charges may give rise to another round of excuses to do nothing.—
Megan Crepeau,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of Reality Defender, a company specializing in deepfake detection, weighed in on the designer's dilemma.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The political dilemma facing Trump and the Republicans is one that an earlier generation of conservative revolutionaries faced forty-odd years ago.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
For the fifth quarterly meeting in a row, discussions with their siblings, Dan and Matt, about refreshing their independent board members had ended in a stalemate.—
Nick Di Loreto,
Harvard Business Review,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The United States’s three most powerful European allies disagree with its plan for ending the brutal, destructive stalemate in Ukraine, with Germany the most disagreeable.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
New foods include chicken bacon ranch waffle stick, pickle juice lemonade, flaming hot chili mac dog and more.—
Shafaq Patel,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott Think a hankering for pickle juice is just a weird pregnancy quirk?—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The second-deepest hole, the German Continental Deep Drilling Programme, stretches 5.6 miles.—
Brent Crane,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Cracks and ridges in the ice constantly shifted the route to a permanent hole in the ice, named Ocean City, from which Hoppe and her team gathered hundreds of liters of seawater samples and hauled them back to the ship for analysis.—
Asher Elbein,
WIRED,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impasse. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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