Definition of stale
staler
;stalest
1 : tasteless or unpalatable from age stale bread
2 : tedious from familiarity a stale routine
3 : impaired in legal force or effect by reason of being allowed to rest without timely use, action, or demand a stale affidavit a stale debt
4 : impaired in vigor or effectiveness
staleness
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of stale in a Sentence
a room filled with stale smoke
viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms
Origin and Etymology of stale
Middle English, settled, clear (of ale), not fresh, from Anglo-French estale, probably from Middle Dutch stel old (of beer)
First Known Use: 15th century
stale
Definition of stale
staled
;staling
transitive verb
1 : to make stale
2 archaic : to make common : cheapen
intransitive verb
: to become stale
1599
First Known Use of stale
1599
stale
Definition of stale
staled
;staling
intransitive verb
: urinate —used chiefly of camels and horses
Origin and Etymology of stale
Middle English; akin to Middle Low German stallen to urinate, stal urine of horses
First Known Use: 15th century
stale
Definition of stale
: urine of a domestic animal (such as a horse)
1548
First Known Use of stale
1548
STALE Defined for English Language Learners
stale
playDefinition of stale for English Language Learners
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of food : no longer good or appealing : no longer fresh
-
: not clean, clear, or pure : having an unpleasant taste or smell
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: not interesting or new : boring or unoriginal
STALE Defined for Kids
stale
playDefinition of stale for Students
staler
;stalest
1 : having lost a good taste or quality through age stale bread
2 : used or heard so often as to be dull stale jokes
3 : not so strong, energetic, or effective as before He felt stale in his job.
Law Dictionary
stale
Legal Definition of stale
: impaired in legal effect or force by reason of not being used, acted upon, or demanded in a timely fashion a search warrant based on stale information a stale claim
Learn More about stale
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See words that rhyme with stale Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stale Spanish Central: Translation of stale Nglish: Translation of stale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stale for Arabic speakers
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