impasse — meaning in English
French → English · translate English → French instead
English meaning
- deadlock noun A complete standstill caused by two equally matched sides refusing to give way.
- finesse noun Skilful and delicate handling of a difficult or sensitive situation.
- gridlock noun A traffic jam so severe that vehicles cannot move in any direction; also used for a complete standstill in progress or negotiations.
- impasse noun A situation where no further progress can be made; a deadlock.
- stalemate noun In chess, a position where the player to move has no legal move and is not in check, ending the game as a draw.
Senses
impasse is used for these senses in English:
- dead end (idiomatic) A street or path or tunnel that goes nowhere or is blocked on one end.
- dead end (figurative) A position that offers no hope of change or progress.
- deadlock A standstill resulting from the opposition of two evenly matched forces; a stalemate or impasse.
- finesse (countable, card games) In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over. [from early 18th c.]
- finesse (transitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse. [from mid 18th c.]
- gridlock (figuratively, by extension) Any paralysis of a complex system due to severe congestion, conflict, or deadlock.
- hung jury (legal) A jury in a legal trial that is unable to reach or come to a verdict because the jurors cannot agree on a decision.
- impasse (figurative) A deadlock or stalemate situation in which no progress can be made.
deadlock — full definition
- noun A complete standstill caused by two equally matched sides refusing to give way.
- verb To bring negotiations, a process, or a system to a complete standstill.
finesse — full definition
- noun Skilful and delicate handling of a difficult or sensitive situation.
- verb To handle a tricky situation cleverly or skilfully, often to get around a problem.