stale·mate
ˈstāl-ˌmāt 
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
stalemated; stalemating; stalemates
: to bring into a stalemate
Synonyms
Examples of stalemate in a Sentence
Noun
The budget debate ended in a stalemate.
The new agreement could break the stalemate.
The budget debate ended in stalemate.
Recent Examples on the Web
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
There was, really, precious little to remember at all: no goals, few shots, little drama — a drab, rain-sodden stalemate between the French capital’s third-most successful soccer team and the country’s sleepiest giant.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers have faced a decades-long political stalemate on how to fix it.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
After a decade-long stalemate over 11 acres of vacant, overgrown land, two Charlotte developers avoided a courtroom duel and settled Wednesday.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
House centrists also unveiled an alternative bill in recent days designed to get around the stalemate by enacting tougher border security measures, while providing defense funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and U.S. operations in the Middle East.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024
In the space of 24 months, Israel held four elections ending in stalemate, with neither Netanyahu nor his rivals winning a majority.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Yet this outcome now seems like a stalemate, if not a defeat.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
In the United States, the largest single donor country, Congress remains locked in a stalemate over whether to approve further aid for Ukraine; the eventual outcome could define the future of the conflict.
—Henrik Pettersson, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
Ultimately, if Russia’s edge in strategic adaptation persists without an appropriate Western response, the worst that can happen in this war is not stalemate.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024
Congressional Republicans appear stalemated on a border deal that would free up aid to Ukraine.
—Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
The games’ findings—that strategic bombing would fail to convince the North Vietnamese to surrender and that the United States would end up stalemated in a bloody conflict in Vietnam—were remarkably prescient.
—Jacquelyn Schneider, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2023
And along stretches of the battlefront, fighting is somewhat stalemated.
—Lolita C. Baldor, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2023
But stalemate at the front and signs of fraying support have many in Europe worried.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Most important, though, is that Congress not stalemate over this funding at this moment.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 Nov. 2023
Putin’s comments come as the war in Ukraine remains stalemated and the Russian leader casts the conflict as a struggle against Western hegemony and dominance.
—TIME, 6 Oct. 2023
Noun
Breaking the stalemate Repeatedly in recent years, strategists for one party or the other have seized on demographic trends to proclaim that a new era of dominance for their side was right around the corner.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
There was, really, precious little to remember at all: no goals, few shots, little drama — a drab, rain-sodden stalemate between the French capital’s third-most successful soccer team and the country’s sleepiest giant.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Lawmakers have faced a decades-long political stalemate on how to fix it.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
After a decade-long stalemate over 11 acres of vacant, overgrown land, two Charlotte developers avoided a courtroom duel and settled Wednesday.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
House centrists also unveiled an alternative bill in recent days designed to get around the stalemate by enacting tougher border security measures, while providing defense funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and U.S. operations in the Middle East.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024
In the space of 24 months, Israel held four elections ending in stalemate, with neither Netanyahu nor his rivals winning a majority.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
Yet this outcome now seems like a stalemate, if not a defeat.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
In the United States, the largest single donor country, Congress remains locked in a stalemate over whether to approve further aid for Ukraine; the eventual outcome could define the future of the conflict.
—Henrik Pettersson, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
Zelenskyy will endeavor to keep his country’s long and largely stalemated defense against Russia on the minds of political leaders in attendance.
—USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
Ultimately, if Russia’s edge in strategic adaptation persists without an appropriate Western response, the worst that can happen in this war is not stalemate.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024
Congressional Republicans appear stalemated on a border deal that would free up aid to Ukraine.
—Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
The games’ findings—that strategic bombing would fail to convince the North Vietnamese to surrender and that the United States would end up stalemated in a bloody conflict in Vietnam—were remarkably prescient.
—Jacquelyn Schneider, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2023
And along stretches of the battlefront, fighting is somewhat stalemated.
—Lolita C. Baldor, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2023
But stalemate at the front and signs of fraying support have many in Europe worried.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Most important, though, is that Congress not stalemate over this funding at this moment.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 Nov. 2023
Putin’s comments come as the war in Ukraine remains stalemated and the Russian leader casts the conflict as a struggle against Western hegemony and dominance.
—TIME, 6 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stalemate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stalemate
Cite this Entry
“Stalemate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalemate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stalemate
1 of 2 noun
stale·mate
ˈstā(ə)l-ˌmāt
1
: a position in chess that results in a draw when the only piece to be moved is the king which cannot be moved without being exposed to attack by the other player's piece
2
: a drawn or undecided contest : deadlock
the two sides reached a stalemate in their negotiations
stalemate
2 of 2 verb
stalemated; stalemating
: to bring into a stalemate
the talks were stalemated over the issue of payment
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