stalemate

noun stale·mate \ ˈstāl-ˌmāt \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

1 : a drawing position in chess in which a player is not in checkmate but has no legal move to play

2 : a drawn contest : deadlock; also : the state of being stalemated

See stalemate defined for English-language learners

See stalemate defined for kids

Examples of stalemate in a Sentence

The budget debate ended in a stalemate.
The new agreement could break the stalemate.
The budget debate ended in stalemate.

Recent Examples of stalemate from the Web

For the second time in less than a year, nurses at Baystate Health’s community hospital in Greenfield are preparing to go on strike amid a stalemate in contract negotiations.

— priyanka dayal mccluskey, BostonGlobe.com, "Nurses at Greenfield hospital plan second strike in past year," 9 Apr. 2018
How does the Permanent Fund connect to the budget, and the current stalemate?

— nathaniel herz, Anchorage Daily News, "What’s the holdup? The Alaska Legislature’s latest stalemate, explained," 1 Apr. 2018
Liz Dufour Cincinnati City Council shot down Mayor John Cranley's latest attempt to buy out City Manager Harry Black on Wednesday, prolonging the bitter stalemate between City Hall's two most powerful figures.

— dan horn, Cincinnati.com, "Council rejects Cranley's severance deal with Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black," 28 Mar. 2018
Those weapons allegedly included ballistic missiles used to target Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition of Arab nations backed by the US that is stuck in a stalemate war with the Houthis.

— Fox News, "Roadside bombs disguised as rocks may indicate Iranian influence in Yemen," 26 Mar. 2018
The stalemate didn't conclude until the 70th minute when Courage forward Debinha launched a Denise O'Sullivan ball past Adrianna Franch's outstretched fingertips into the top right corner.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Portland Thorns fall 1-0 as North Carolina Courage get revenge to open NWSL season," 24 Mar. 2018
The stalemate leaves Teesside resembling British politics at large: a story of reorientation rather than revolution, with neither Labour nor the Tories able to break out.

— The Economist, "The rise of the Teesside Tories," 22 Mar. 2018
Given the state's ongoing budget stalemate and massively underfunded pension obligations, new revenue is sorely needed.

— bleader staff, Chicago Reader, "Legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois, Chicago and suburban voters say," 20 Mar. 2018
Yet the stalemate has dragged on into the new year, and the council has gotten somewhat used to handling routine business under Manzie's interim leadership and Manzie appointing ad hoc committees as needed.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "As deadlock continues, Mobile Council begins to ponder the penny," 9 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stalemate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stalemate

obsolete English stale stalemate (from Middle English, from Anglo-French estaler to stalemate, from estal station, position) + English ¹mate — more at installment

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1765

See Words from the same year

stalemate Synonyms

Synonyms

deadlock, gridlock, halt, impasse, logjam, standoff, standstill;

Related Words

dead end;

bind, bottleneck, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, jam, morass, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, quagmire, quandary, spot;

difficulty;

problem;

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

stalemate

verb

transitive verb

: to bring into a stalemate

Recent Examples of stalemate from the Web

With the bases loaded and the game stalemated at 1-1 at the top of the eighth inning, a pair of infield errors by Apopka helped the Huskies score two runs.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hagerty takes down Apopka 5-1 in extra innings," 7 Apr. 2018
Throw in hot weather and a confusing war that has stalemated much of the progress that was being made or could be made.

— burt solomon, The Atlantic, "Our Back Pages: The Atlantic and Civil Rights," 4 Apr. 2018
But after the convention stalemated for 35 ballots, delegates stampeded to an alternative all knew as a competent and intelligent candidate, Garfield himself.

— kenneth d. ackerman, Smithsonian, "The Garfield Assassination Altered American History, But Is Woefully Forgotten Today," 2 Mar. 2018
And partisan differences have stalemated spending bills in the Senate.

— sarah binder, Washington Post, "Four takeaways from the short-lived shutdown," 24 Jan. 2018
But Larson was among the 105 representatives to approve the bill after debate ended, though property tax reform ultimately failed when the two chambers stalemated.

— jasper scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "Abbott ad targets Larson’s voting record," 20 Feb. 2018
But the truth is that the battle was stalemated until Trump came into office and unleashed the military with new rules of engagement.

— jonathan s. tobin, National Review, "What Syria Teaches Us About ‘America First’," 25 Jan. 2018
Instead, everyone lines up and simply tries to plug his hole or stalemate his blocker.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "What’s Wrong With the Patriots Defense? Plenty," 8 Sep. 2017
But both presidents shared similar impatience with a balky Congress and a desire to take action when stalemated.

— peter baker, New York Times, "Trump Adopts Obama Approach While Seeking to Undo a Legacy," 13 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of stalemate

1765

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

STALEMATE Defined for English Language Learners

stalemate

noun

: a contest, dispute, competition, etc., in which neither side can gain an advantage or win
: a situation in chess in which a player cannot successfully move any of the pieces and neither player can win