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Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?
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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
stalled; stalling; stalls
1
: to put into or keep in a stall
2
obsolete
: install sense 2
1
: to come to a standstill (as from mired wheels or engine failure)
2
: to experience a stall in flying
: the condition of an airfoil or aircraft in which excessive angle of attack causes disruption of airflow with attendant loss of lift
: a ruse to deceive or delay
stalled; stalling; stalls
: to play for time : delay
: to hold off, divert, or delay by evasion or deception
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
IEEE Spectrum, 1 Mar. 2023
Edge computing is the next frontier for IT; Its power, space and ruggedization barriers will continue to stall many IT projects.
—Matt Kimball, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
The sale runs through Tuesday, February 21 at 12 p.m. ET, but sizes always sell out fast, so don't stall!
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2023
Sturgeon's exit will likely stall Scotland's independence efforts, even as the SNP continues to push for a new referendum.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 15 Feb. 2023
Forman said that if housing efforts continue to stall, Braintree may slip beneath the state mandate that requires 10 percent of a town’s inventory be set aside as affordable housing.
—Andrew Brinker, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Turkey indicated Sweden’s rejection of its extradition demand is negative to NATO’s enlargement, which Turkey continues to stall.
—Beril Akman, Bloomberg.com, 20 Dec. 2022
Kelly Gallaher, whose group A Better Mount Pleasant has been a vocal critic of the village and the Foxconn project, said without Maldonado pushing the village board to restart negotiations, the village would have continued to stall.
—Corrinne Hess, Journal Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2022
On Thursday, the company made the statement as the fate of $52 billion in funding for the CHIPS Act continues to stall in Congress.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 23 June 2022
Vulture, 30 Nov. 2022
David stands upright in a bathroom stall for seven days.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2022
On July 22, police responded to a report of a man passed out in a bathroom stall.
—Cheryl Higley, cleveland, 31 July 2022
For Ortega's character, Vada, that involves growing closer with a dancer from her school, played by Dance Moms' Maddie Ziegler, whom she becomes bonded with after they're forced to hide together in a bathroom stall during the attack.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 25 July 2022
Unfortunately, the heartbreaking feelings of loss were all too familiar to Murgatroyd, who suffered her first miscarriage in a Whole Foods bathroom stall in the fall of 2020, five weeks into pregnancy.
—Lanae Brody, PEOPLE.com, 21 June 2022
Two sallow-cheeked women (who later shared a bathroom stall) sat with a septuagenarian and his bobbing toothpick.
—Sloane Crosley, Town & Country, 23 Jan. 2022
Getting medical advice from an anonymous social media account would be like getting medical advice from the graffiti in a public bathroom stall.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2021
Michael Hernandez, the notorious killer who murdered his best friend inside a bathroom stall at Southwood Middle High in 2004, died of a heart irregularity, according to an autopsy released on Monday.
—David Ovalle, sun-sentinel.com, 9 Aug. 2021
See More
Verb
That congestion could still stall the refuelling effort, even if Energoatom efficiently upgrades and relicenses its reactors and Westinghouse delivers sufficient fuel in time.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Mar. 2023
Edge computing is the next frontier for IT; Its power, space and ruggedization barriers will continue to stall many IT projects.
—Matt Kimball, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
The sale runs through Tuesday, February 21 at 12 p.m. ET, but sizes always sell out fast, so don't stall!
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2023
Sturgeon's exit will likely stall Scotland's independence efforts, even as the SNP continues to push for a new referendum.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 15 Feb. 2023
Forman said that if housing efforts continue to stall, Braintree may slip beneath the state mandate that requires 10 percent of a town’s inventory be set aside as affordable housing.
—Andrew Brinker, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Turkey indicated Sweden’s rejection of its extradition demand is negative to NATO’s enlargement, which Turkey continues to stall.
—Beril Akman, Bloomberg.com, 20 Dec. 2022
Kelly Gallaher, whose group A Better Mount Pleasant has been a vocal critic of the village and the Foxconn project, said without Maldonado pushing the village board to restart negotiations, the village would have continued to stall.
—Corrinne Hess, Journal Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2022
On Thursday, the company made the statement as the fate of $52 billion in funding for the CHIPS Act continues to stall in Congress.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 23 June 2022
Noun
In the scene in the bathroom stall, the camera stays on your face.
—Vulture, 30 Nov. 2022
David stands upright in a bathroom stall for seven days.
—Eli Grober, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2022
On July 22, police responded to a report of a man passed out in a bathroom stall.
—Cheryl Higley, cleveland, 31 July 2022
For Ortega's character, Vada, that involves growing closer with a dancer from her school, played by Dance Moms' Maddie Ziegler, whom she becomes bonded with after they're forced to hide together in a bathroom stall during the attack.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 25 July 2022
Unfortunately, the heartbreaking feelings of loss were all too familiar to Murgatroyd, who suffered her first miscarriage in a Whole Foods bathroom stall in the fall of 2020, five weeks into pregnancy.
—Lanae Brody, PEOPLE.com, 21 June 2022
Two sallow-cheeked women (who later shared a bathroom stall) sat with a septuagenarian and his bobbing toothpick.
—Sloane Crosley, Town & Country, 23 Jan. 2022
Getting medical advice from an anonymous social media account would be like getting medical advice from the graffiti in a public bathroom stall.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2021
Michael Hernandez, the notorious killer who murdered his best friend inside a bathroom stall at Southwood Middle High in 2004, died of a heart irregularity, according to an autopsy released on Monday.
—David Ovalle, sun-sentinel.com, 9 Aug. 2021
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Phrases Containing stall
Dictionary Entries Near stall
Cite this Entry
“Stall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stall. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
stall
1 of 5 noun1
: 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 verb1
: 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"
More from Merriam-Webster on stall
Nglish: Translation of stall for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stall for Arabic Speakers
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