stasis

1 of 2

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs  ˈsta- 

plural stases ˈstā-ˌsēz  ˈsta- 

1

: a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semifluid: such as

a

: slowing of the current of circulating blood

b

: reduced motility of the intestines with retention of feces

2

a

: a state of static balance or equilibrium : stagnation

b

: a state or period of stability during which little or no evolutionary change in a lineage occurs

-stasis

2 of 2

noun combining form

plural -stases

1

: stoppage : slowing

hemostasis

bacteriostasis

2

: stable state

homeostasis

Synonyms of stasis

Noun

• equilibrium

Examples of stasis in a Sentence

Noun

The country is in economic stasis.

His art was characterized by bursts of creativity followed by long periods of stasis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Even in novels centered on Millennial inaction or stasis, such as Pond, by Claire-Louise Bennett, a kind of attentiveness is necessary to advance beyond rhetorical water-treading. — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Now, a deal that was hurtling through the regulatory process at a remarkable pace, going from proposal to the verge of completion in about five months, has now entered into a period of stasis. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 July 2026

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis suggests the story may actually be one of reversal, not stasis—with a significant split along generational, even intra-generational lines. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 July 2026

If paranoia is on the breeze, so too is a sense of post-teenage stasis that seems to hang in the Chinatown air, caught between youth and adulthood, an immigrant past and a gentrified future. — Dylan Adamson, IndieWire, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin, from Greek, act or condition of standing, stopping, from histasthai to stand — more at stand

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Greek stasis

First Known Use

Noun

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stasis

• basis
• glacis
• mesas
• stasis
• anabasis
• cholestasis
• haemostasis
• hemostasis
• hypostasis
• periphrasis
• atelectasis
• bronchiectasis

Medical Definition

stasis

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs  ˈstas-əs 

plural stases ˈstā-ˌsēz  ˈstas-ˌēz 

: a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semifluid

biliary stasis

: as

a

: slowing of the current of circulating blood

b

: reduced motility of the intestines with retention of feces