1
as in blocking
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2
as in procrastinating
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1
as in halting
to bring (something) to a standstill
endless complaints stalled the process of selecting the winning design for the memorial
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2
as in dying
to stop functioning
the engine stalls sometimes when it's very cold outside
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Recent Examples of stalling
Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows promised swift action and vowed to brook no more stalling tactics from Democrats.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in peace efforts while his army tries to capture more Ukrainian land.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Now that there’s a deal, the foursome need to accelerate their campaign quickly or risk stalling out ahead of the midterms, or after.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The reading prompted fresh warnings that the region is facing the specter of looming stagflation — a toxic combination of high inflation and unemployment, and stalling growth.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
Just weeks after Congress appropriated 2026 funds for NIH, the administration is already stalling their release.
—Jenna Norton, STAT, 12 Mar. 2026
To protect these fragile machines, developers are supposed to invest in expensive battery storage or grid backups, ultimately driving up production costs and stalling the transition to affordable green fuel.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
Rising oil prices are also likely to boost the costs of other goods, with the closed strait also stalling shipments of fertilizer ingredients and likely raising prices on household items that could hit consumers for months.
—Timothy Gardner, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
House and Senate leaders are deadlocked on a budget, and haven’t entered formal talks, stalling any relief for those dropped from ADAP.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The tense talks continued into a second day but concluded without progress, in a diplomatic effort that seemed little more than another stalling game for Putin.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows promised swift action and vowed to brook no more stalling tactics from Democrats.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
For their part, House Republicans didn’t want the governor to be able to hand-pick the inspector general and objected to the changes in Norris’s bill and accused DFLers of stalling on fraud.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in peace efforts while his army tries to capture more Ukrainian land.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Now that there’s a deal, the foursome need to accelerate their campaign quickly or risk stalling out ahead of the midterms, or after.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The reading prompted fresh warnings that the region is facing the specter of looming stagflation — a toxic combination of high inflation and unemployment, and stalling growth.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
Just weeks after Congress appropriated 2026 funds for NIH, the administration is already stalling their release.
—Jenna Norton, STAT, 12 Mar. 2026
To protect these fragile machines, developers are supposed to invest in expensive battery storage or grid backups, ultimately driving up production costs and stalling the transition to affordable green fuel.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
Rising oil prices are also likely to boost the costs of other goods, with the closed strait also stalling shipments of fertilizer ingredients and likely raising prices on household items that could hit consumers for months.
—Timothy Gardner, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
House and Senate leaders are deadlocked on a budget, and haven’t entered formal talks, stalling any relief for those dropped from ADAP.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalling
Adjective
-
The winner was the player who avoided being blocked the longest — a blocking game, a category of strategy game where the objective centers on restricting your opponent’s movement.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ubel says some were holding out for lower prices this spring, only to see the price of the most common nitrogen fertilizer, urea, spike close to 30% when Iran shut down shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, halting close to half the world's fertilizer trade.—
Frank Morris,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
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The Mapletree Global Student Accommodation Private Trust, almost three years after halting regular payments to investors, finally came to an end on March 16, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News.—
Low De Wei,
Bloomberg,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, this immersive storytelling experience is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age; a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters all dying to tell their story.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Slovak played on the band’s first three studio albums before dying aged 26 of an accidental heroin overdose in 1988.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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And on Monday, March 30, the court upheld the stay, effectively stopping any chance that the execution would happen as scheduled.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rendered incapable of future flight after crashing in January 2024 and damaging its rotor blade, the 4-pound Ingenuity performed 72 flights for nearly three years at Mars.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One person was shot in a rolling shooting Sunday evening in Overland Park that ended with one of the vehicles involved crashing at a Prairie Village park, a police spokesman said.—
Robert A. Cronkleton
March 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And, through it all, stocks have continued to steadily rise, buoyed by hopes for Fed rate cuts, stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and slowing but stubborn confidence that an AI boom might reap big rewards for investors.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For those who have the option, more are contemplating walking, cycling, carpooling or catching the bus or train to get some relief.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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That inspired some smirks from Boone and Tanner Swanson, the team’s director of catching.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lawsuits also accuse the manufacturers of failing to warn parents of the risk.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Richardson has prior arrests and convictions in Alabama for domestic violence, disorderly conduct and failing to appear in court dating back to March 2011, Manley said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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