stall

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: a compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn
b
: a space marked off for parking a motor vehicle
2
a
: a seat in the chancel of a church with back and sides wholly or partly enclosed
b
: a church pew
c
chiefly British : a front orchestra seat in a theater
usually used in plural
3
: a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale
4
: a protective sheath for a finger or toe
5
: a small compartment
a shower stall
especially : one with a toilet or urinal

stall

2 of 5

verb (1)

stalled; stalling; stalls

transitive verb

1
: to put into or keep in a stall
2
obsolete : install sense 2
3
a
: to bring to a standstill : block
especially : mire
b
: to cause (an engine) to stop usually inadvertently
c
: to cause (an aircraft or airfoil) to go into a stall

intransitive verb

1
: to come to a standstill (as from mired wheels or engine failure)
2
: to experience a stall in flying

stall

3 of 5

noun (2)

: the condition of an airfoil or aircraft in which excessive angle of attack causes disruption of airflow with attendant loss of lift

stall

4 of 5

noun (3)

: a ruse to deceive or delay

stall

5 of 5

verb (2)

stalled; stalling; stalls

intransitive verb

: to play for time : delay

transitive verb

: to hold off, divert, or delay by evasion or deception

Examples of stall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
While some critics maintain the country’s #MeToo movement stalled, and that few men in positions of power were ultimately held accountable for their actions, the director insists that tangible progress has been made. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 But some of the user figures reported by Reddit suggest its growth could be stalling. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 In Europe, pressure is building to lower borrowing costs as inflation drops and economic growth has stalled, unlike in the United States. Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Netanyahu's position has sparked outrage from some family members of the hostages, saying the government's firm stance has stalled the talks. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 Sticky inflation, higher-for-longer rates Wall Street’s biggest concern at the moment is the possibility that inflation’s slowdown might have stalled. Bryan Mena, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 However, the report notes that progress in the U.S. has stalled. David Meyer, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 For decades, the United States has backed an Israeli-Palestinian peace process that was largely stalled following some initial achievements in the 1990s, including the signing of the Oslo Accords, and now has ground to a halt amid the war in the Gaza Strip. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024 Burns minced no words on the importance of U.S. assistance to Ukraine, which is currently stalled amid a divisive debate on Capitol Hill. Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
How Caitlin Clark re-created the iconic Kobe Bryant photo with a trophy in a shower stall. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Some clinics require supervision while patients provide a urine sample either via camera or even from inside a bathroom stall. Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Mar. 2024 Li Auto is also touting a new Qilin 5C battery, jointly developed with CATL, that can achieve a driving range of 500 kilometers after just 12 minutes charging in a Li Auto super charging stall. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 4 Mar. 2024 But the crowds remain, as do the guitarists, craft stalls and psychics. Elaine Glusac, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024 The spot where the tents are set up on White Plaza is surrounded by other canopies, occupied by food stalls and other student organizations. Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024 Returning baker Patrice Winter’s booth was unintentionally placed at the exact position of her stall eight years ago. Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 It's been eaten by truck drivers at road-side stalls in rural India and by international glamourati like Jackie Kennedy. Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 Stations would force the removal of about 70 parking stalls along West Seventh Street, sparing about 570 parking spots. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stall.' 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 (1)

Middle English, from Old English steall; akin to Old High German stal place, stall and perhaps to Latin locus (Old Latin stlocus) place

Noun (3) and Verb (2)

alteration of stale lure

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1916, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1846, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1903, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of stall was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stall

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

stall

1 of 5 noun
1
: a compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn
2
a
: a seat in the choir of a church with back and sides wholly or partly enclosed
b
chiefly British : a front orchestra seat in a theater
usually used in plural
3
: a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale
4
: a small compartment
a shower stall
especially : one with a toilet or urinal

stall

2 of 5 verb
1
: to put into or keep in a stall
2
: to stop or cause to stop usually by accident
stall an engine
3
: to experience or cause (an aircraft) to experience a stall in flying

stall

3 of 5 noun
: the condition of an aircraft or a wing of an aircraft in which lift is lost and the aircraft or wing tends to drop

stall

4 of 5 noun
: a trick to deceive or delay

stall

5 of 5 verb
: to distract attention or make excuses to gain time
try to stall them until I get the place cleaned up
Etymology

Noun

Old English steall "stall for an animal"

Noun

an altered form of earlier stale "lure"

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