Impasse - Dictionary Definition and Overview

Impasse : (noun)
1: a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; "reached an impasse on the negotiations" [syn: deadlock, dead end, stalemate, standstill]
2: a street with only one way in or out [syn: blind alley, cul de sac, dead-end street]

Based on WordNet 2.0

Impasse : \Im`passe"\ ([a^]N`p[aum]s"; E. [i^]m*p[.a]s"), n. [F.] An impassable road or way; a blind alley; cul-de-sac; fig., a position or predicament affording no escape.

The issue from the present impasse will, in all probability, proceed from below, not from above. --Arnold White.

Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)