stale

1 of 4

adjective

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
stalely adverb
staleness noun

stale

2 of 4

verb (1)

staled; staling

transitive verb

1
: to make stale
2
archaic : to make common : cheapen

intransitive verb

: to become stale

stale

3 of 4

verb (2)

staled; staling

intransitive verb

: urinate
used chiefly of camels and horses

stale

4 of 4

noun

: urine of a domestic animal (such as a horse)

Examples of stale in a Sentence

Adjective a room filled with stale smoke viewers were bored by the stale story lines of the new crop of sitcoms
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
While the loss of subsidies and new tariffs on Model 3 sedans imported from China contributed to that poor result, industry analysts fear Tesla is now paying the price for pushing a stale portfolio of vehicles into a stagnant European EV market where consumers are spoiled for choice. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2024 The American festival model is one frequently criticized as boring and stale. Jim Ryan, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
Verb
Stone Fruit Brown Betty Got summer fruit and a few slices of staling sandwich bread? Rita Dove, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2023 Blinkie’s Donut Emporium, owned by a Cambodian American father-daughter duo, offers handmade donuts daily, always closing at noon so their selection never stales. Theo Stroomer, National Geographic, 5 June 2019
Noun
One trait of stale and out-of-touch leadership teams is a disconnect between seniority levels. Yec, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023 Is the information being presented by the F.B.I. to the court stale? Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for stale 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, settled, clear (of ale), not fresh, from Anglo-French estale, probably from Middle Dutch stel old (of beer)

Verb (2)

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German stallen to urinate, stal urine of horses

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stale was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near stale

Cite this Entry

“Stale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

stale

1 of 2 adjective
staler; stalest
1
: having lost a good taste or quality from age
stale food
2
: used or heard so often as to be dull
stale news
3
: not so strong, effective, or energetic as before
felt stale from lack of exercise
stalely adverb
staleness noun

stale

2 of 2 verb
staled; staling
: to make or become stale

Legal Definition

stale

adjective
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on stale

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