impasse

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im·passe

(ĭm′păs′)

1. A road or passage having no exit; a cul-de-sac.

2. A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made; a deadlock or a stalemate: reached an impasse in the negotiations.

[French : in-, not (from Latin in-; see in-¹) + passe, a passing (from Old French, from passer, to pass; see pass).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

impasse

(æmˈpɑːs; ˈæmpɑːs; ɪmˈpɑːs; ˈɪmpɑːs)

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

[C19: from French; see im-, pass]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

im•passe

(ˈɪm pæs, ɪmˈpæs)

n.

1. a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.

2. a cul-de-sac.

[1850–55; orig., a finesse (in cards) < French, =im- im-² + passe pass]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	impasse - a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; "reached an impasse on the negotiations" deadlock, stalemate, standstill, dead end situation - a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple"
	2.	impasse - a street with only one way in or out blind alley, dead-end street, cul de sac thoroughfare - a public road from one place to another

impasse

noun deadlock, stalemate, standstill, dead end, standoff, blind alley (informal) The company has reached an impasse in negotiations.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

Spanish / Español

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impasse

[æmˈpɑːs] N → punto m muerto, impasse m or f
negotiations have reached an impasse → las negociaciones han llegado a un punto muerto or impasse
the government is in an impasse → el gobierno se halla en un impasse

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

References in classic literature ?

We seemed fixed in an IMPASSE. Something must happen, though the power of guessing was inactive.

View in context

Then Homer, wishing to escape from the impasse by an apt answer, replied: --

View in context

Since the cable industry hopes to use blackouts that result from retransmission negotiation failures, NAB has predicted that the CATV will generate impasses and point to them as evidence supporting its case.

NAB's Kaplan Addresses Cable Retrans Claims

Hadi said that Yemen lives in a sensitive situation due to the political crises, economic and security impasses befallen last year.

President Hadi orders to fulfill Hajjah infrastructure needs

"We have organized this movement after we formed a new committee to break the impasses between the Council of Teachers' Association COTA and the Government, as we feel that the possibility of conducting the upcoming matriculation and secondary examination is getting very dim," said Heroji, a protesting student.

Imphal students protest against suspension of classes

Constance FitzGerald appealed to John of the Cross and her Carmelite tradition to suggest that one can get beyond impasses by way of Christian mysticism and its method of purification of memory.

From the editor's desk

This book is a series of reflective essays on the experience of those who participated in a process of communal contemplation and dialogue as a unique way of engaging the impasses in their work for social or ecclesial change.

Crucible for Change: Engaging Impasse through Communal Contemplation and Dialogue

Structurally, it is also a meeting ground for four or five distinct narrative constructions of reality--i.e., different styles of narrative, each of which "frames" experience in its own way--along with the impasses inherent to each.

The Activist

Indeed, Ranciere has posed the philosophical problem of aesthetics today precisely in the face of the impasses of the melancholy critic.

Unhappy returns: John Rajchman on the po-mo decade. (Writing the '80s)

Finally, Wages Councils which set pay rates for 2.5m people in unorganised or weakly organised sectors (and which have been in place for almost the whole of the twentieth century) also resolve impasses via FOA.