an impasse

USAGE SUMMARY

"an impasse" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a situation where two sides cannot come to an agreement. For example, "The parties have reached an impasse in their negotiations over the new labor contract."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

There was an impasse.

The New Yorker

"I'm at an impasse".

The New Yorker

Karim described an impasse.

The New Yorker

We're at an impasse.

The New York Times - Magazine

We were at an impasse.

The New York Times

Negotiations have hit an impasse.

The New York Times - Sports

It was an impasse.

The New York Times

A: It's an impasse.

The Guardian - Business

And then an impasse.

The Guardian

The men were at an impasse.

The New Yorker

The system itself is at an impasse.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Combine it with verbs like "reach", "hit", "break", or "end" to describe different stages of the situation

Common error

Do not use "an impasse" to describe a physical obstruction like a fallen tree in the road; instead, reserve it for figurative deadlocks in reasoning, diplomacy or processes.

Linguistic Context

As demonstrated in Ludwig, "an impasse" functions as a count noun. It most commonly serves as the object of a prepositional phrase (e.g., "at an impasse") or as the direct object of a verb of arrival (e.g., "reached an impasse").

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

20%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Science

3%

Social Media

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "an impasse" is a sophisticated and grammatically essential phrase for describing a deadlock. Ludwig AI examples confirm that it is an industry-standard term in top-tier publications like The New York Times and The Guardian. It is almost always paired with verbs such as "reach" or "hit" and prepositions like "at". Because it begins with a vowel, the use of "an" is mandatory for grammatical correctness. Whether used in a political context, a business negotiation or a personal dispute, it conveys a sense of serious and structured blockage that requires a breakthrough to resolve.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a stalemate

implies a draw where neither side can gain an advantage

a deadlock

stresses the total lack of movement or progress

a standoff

focuses on the confrontational posture of two opposing sides

a gridlock

often used for political or systemic situations where multiple interests block each other

a logjam

suggests a backlog of items or issues causing the delay

a standstill

refers to the cessation of all activity or motion

a blind alley

metaphorically describes a path or logic that leads to no further results

a bottleneck

refers to a specific narrow point that slows down a larger process

a cul-de-sac

a literary or metaphorical way to describe a dead end

a checkmate

more final than an impasse, suggesting a definitive end to a conflict

FAQs

How do you use "an impasse" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe a stuck situation, for example: "The negotiators reached "an impasse" after ten hours of debate."

What is the difference between "an impasse" and "a stalemate"?

While often interchangeable, "an impasse" suggests a barrier to further discussion, whereas "a stalemate" specifically implies a situation where no further winning moves are possible for either side.

Which is correct: "a impasse" or "an impasse"?

Only "an impasse" is correct because "impasse" begins with a vowel sound.

What can I say instead of "an impasse"?

Depending on your tone, you might use alternatives like "a deadlock", "a gridlock" or "a standoff".