stalemate

1 of 2

noun

stale·​mate ˈstāl-ˌmāt How to pronounce stalemate (audio)
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

stalemate

2 of 2

verb

stalemated; stalemating; stalemates

transitive verb

: to bring into a stalemate

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
Noun
Houthi and Iranian attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and military in Yemen brought the war between Iranian proxies and the UAE-Saudi coalition to a stalemate by 2015. Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Even after breaking the stalemate and signing Soler to a three-year, $42 million deal, a number of high-profile free agents remain available, and the Giants shouldn’t be counted out for any of them. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 By all accounts, the war in Ukraine has settled into a stalemate, with both sides hammering away with 20th century weapons like artillery and tanks. TIME, 8 Feb. 2024 Ukraine’s naval success has been a bright spot amid the costly stalemate on the ground. Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024 Read: How telling people to die became normal This isn’t the first lawsuit to take aim at design, a strategy devised to avoid the stalemate over Section 230. Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2024 With fighting across the war’s front lines largely at a stalemate, focus has shifted to the air, where Ukraine has increasingly dealt blows to Russia’s more powerful air force and taken aim deeper within enemy territory. Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024 Ukraine’s backers, discouraged by the stalemate on the ground and relentless Russian attacks from the air, can point to the naval victory as evidence that military success is possible. Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024 With better data in place, policymakers could break this stalemate and improve the care of millions of baby boomers who will receive nursing home care in the coming years. David C. Grabowski and David G. Stevenson, STAT, 5 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1765, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stalemate was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near stalemate

Cite this Entry

“Stalemate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalemate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stalemate

1 of 2 noun
stale·​mate ˈstā(ə)l-ˌmāt How to pronounce stalemate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on stalemate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!