sticking point
noun
: an item (as in negotiations) resulting or likely to result in an impasse
Example Sentences
The length of the contract has become a sticking point in the negotiations.
Recent Examples on the Web The issue of automatic qualifiers remains a key sticking point to CFP expansion talks, with the SEC and Big Ten in a position to negotiate more at-large bids that its teams could be better positioned to earn. 
Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 19 July 2022 But technical teams have struggled to resolve a key sticking point: What to do with solid waste that will be generated by East County? San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2022 This was a key sticking point in the Trump administration’s trade war with China. Saryu Nayyar, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Access to Walter Reed has been a key sticking point for victims of the mysterious illness, some of whom suffer from traumatic brain injury — an injury for which Walter Reed has a renowned treatment center. Katie Bo Lillis And Kylie Atwood, CNN, 23 Sep. 2021 But access for teenagers is likely to emerge as a sticking point. New York Times, 11 July 2022 But access for teenagers is likely to emerge as a sticking point. Kate Kelly, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 While the deal was nearing completion, talks have stalled since March when the US' terror designation of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard emerged as the final sticking point. Hadas Gold And Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 17 June 2022 Even as the sides appeared to inch closer on key economic points, MLB’s proposal to implement an international draft emerged as a sticking point in talks. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 See More
Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 19 July 2022 But technical teams have struggled to resolve a key sticking point: What to do with solid waste that will be generated by East County? San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2022 This was a key sticking point in the Trump administration’s trade war with China. Saryu Nayyar, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Access to Walter Reed has been a key sticking point for victims of the mysterious illness, some of whom suffer from traumatic brain injury — an injury for which Walter Reed has a renowned treatment center. Katie Bo Lillis And Kylie Atwood, CNN, 23 Sep. 2021 But access for teenagers is likely to emerge as a sticking point. New York Times, 11 July 2022 But access for teenagers is likely to emerge as a sticking point. Kate Kelly, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 While the deal was nearing completion, talks have stalled since March when the US' terror designation of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard emerged as the final sticking point. Hadas Gold And Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 17 June 2022 Even as the sides appeared to inch closer on key economic points, MLB’s proposal to implement an international draft emerged as a sticking point in talks. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1732, in the meaning defined above