Meaning & use
impasse
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Meaning
nounusually singular
A point in a discussion, conflict, or process where movement forward stops because neither side will change its position.
Grammar: Often follows reach or hit: reach an impasse. It suggests a standstill, not a final collapse.
Patterns
- reach an impasse
- hit an impasse
- an impasse over something
Salary talks reached an impasse after midnight.
The committee hit an impasse over the budget cuts.
Mediators tried to move both sides past the impasse.
Common combinations
- reach an impasse
- The peace talks reached an impasse over prisoner releases.
- an impasse between two sides
- The impasse between labor and management lasted three weeks.
- break/end an impasse
- A shared funding proposal helped end the impasse.
- political impasse
- The political impasse delayed the new bridge project.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deadlock
- Very close; deadlock stresses equal blocking power and is common in votes and games.
- stalemate
- Also a full stop; stalemate often comes from chess and fits evenly matched opponents.
- standstill
- Broader: any complete stop, not necessarily caused by refusal to compromise.
Opposites
Word family
- impassable adjective
- Unable to be crossed or traveled through.
Commonly confused: impasse or impact? impasse or impassioned?
impasse vs impact
Impact is an effect or collision; impasse is a blocked situation.
impasse vs impassioned
Impassioned means showing strong feeling, not lacking a way forward.
Practice
Which phrase best completes the sentence: “After six hours, the negotiators finally admitted they had reached ___”?
Choose one answer.
An impasse means progress has stopped, which matches admitted after six hours. Agreement, compromise, and conclusion all imply movement to a result, so they fit poorly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impasse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.