impasse.

A deadlock that prevents further progress without a new approach.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• reach an impasse
• break an impasse

On the page

The talks reached an impasse over access to the records.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Singular impasse; plural impasses. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, atmosphere, interpretation. Commonness: moderately common.