stalemate

noun stale·mate \ ˈstāl-ˌmāt \

Definition of stalemate

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

The crisis lapsed into a stalemate after Qatar refused an initial list of 13 demands, which included cutting all ties with Tehran.

— declan walsh, New York Times, "Qatar Restores Full Relations With Iran, Deepening Gulf Feud," 24 Aug. 2017
So for about two years, the Bitcoin community was stuck in a stalemate, with no major changes being made to accommodate Bitcoin's growth.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "A new deal could end Bitcoin’s long-running civil war," 25 July 2017
For the last 50 years, Venice has successfully fought developers to a stalemate.

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "How Venice Beach Became a Neighborhood for the Wealthy," 24 July 2017
Hoping to move past a budget stalemate, Republicans in the state Senate on Tuesday proposed a spending plan that would rely on borrowing for roads and eliminate a property tax paid by businesses.

— erin richards, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Senate Republicans' plan would borrow for Wisconsin roads and eliminate a business tax," 18 July 2017
The state budget stalemate won't shut down the clinic's suboxone treatment program for opioid users because that's funded through a federal grant.

— daniela altimari, courant.com, "State-Funded Rehab Center Faces Uncertain Future Without Budget," 17 July 2017
Trump’s frustration with the Syrian stalemate and hesitation to oust Assad suited Putin much better than Clinton’s plans for more direct engagement.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "How Has Supporting Trump Worked Out for Russia?," 16 July 2017
The House, meanwhile, is mired in procedural stalemate with both parties — and chambers — blaming one another.

— abby livingston, star-telegram, "Texas Republican congressman says Trump should kick kids out of White House," 13 July 2017
The Houthis are now well-entrenched in Southern Yemeni cities, and the battle has reached a stalemate.

— michael brendan dougherty, National Review, "Trump’s Yemen Policy Is Immoral and Counterproductive," 13 July 2017

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, logjam, Mexican standoff, impasse, 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

Definition of stalemate

transitive verb

:to bring into a stalemate

Recent Examples of stalemate from the Web

The possibility exists, always, that tossing a rookie quarterback into the fire backfires in spectacular fashion—badly enough to stalemate said QB’s development, in some cases.

— chris burke, SI.com, "Will DeShone Kizer Step Up and Take the Starting QB Job? Browns About to Find Out," 24 Aug. 2017
The administration had been at odds for months over how to craft a new Afghan war strategy amid frustrations that the conflict had stalemated some 16 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

— darlene superville, The Seattle Times, "Trump to outline Afghan strategy in national TV address," 21 Aug. 2017
The administration had been at odds for months over how to craft a new Afghan war strategy amid frustrations that the conflict had stalemated some 16 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

— Washington Post, "Trump to outline Afghan strategy in national TV address," 21 Aug. 2017
The administration had been at odds for months over how to craft a new Afghan war strategy amid frustrations that the conflict had stalemated some 16 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

— Time, "After a Punishing Week, Trump Hopes to Redirect Attention With an Address on Afghanistan," 21 Aug. 2017
The administration has been at odds for months over how to craft a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan amid frustrations that 16 years after 9/11 the conflict is stalemated.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump Will Address Path Forward on Afghanistan," 20 Aug. 2017
The administration has been at odds for months over how to craft a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan amid frustrations that 16 years after 9/11 the conflict is stalemated.

— lolita c. baldor and robert burns, chicagotribune.com, "Trump will address path forward on Afghanistan," 20 Aug. 2017
The teams had been stalemated since the sixth inning before Croppy’s blast.

— pioneer press, Twin Cities, "Iowa edges Gophers in longest game in Big Ten baseball tournament history," 27 May 2017
Meantime, the House investigation, itself, has been stalemated by a week of partisan wrangling.

— david lauter, latimes.com, "Immunity deals, primary threats, and it's only Week 10," 31 Mar. 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

Definition of stalemate for English Language Learners

: 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