IMPASSE

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does impasse mean? 

• IMPASSE (noun)
  The noun IMPASSE has 2 senses:

1. a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

2. a street with only one way in or out

  Familiarity information: IMPASSE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMPASSE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

dead end; deadlock; impasse; stalemate; standstill

Context example:

reached an impasse on the negotiations

Hypernyms ("impasse" is a kind of...):

situation (a complex or critical or unusual difficulty)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A street with only one way in or out

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

blind alley; cul de sac; dead-end street; impasse

Hypernyms ("impasse" is a kind of...):

thoroughfare (a public road from one place to another)