stalling 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in blocking

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2
as in procrastinating

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stalling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stall
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stalling
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
On a national level, the Sunshine Protection Act, which would end changing the clocks, passed in the House of Representatives back in July, before stalling in the Senate. — Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 The tone, momentum and overall direction often are determined by a precious few snaps, and instead of stacking breakthrough moments the Chiefs kept stalling. — Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026 It’s led to stalling growth for some picture-heavy accounts, including Trust Fund Terry, which launched about eight years ago on Instagram. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026 Without one, the country risks stalling tools central to its competitiveness, or building them at the expense of the communities next door. — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Maybe a group plan keeps stalling because no one’s taking charge, or a friend’s emotional drama is draining you. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2026 Their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, stalling this crew’s homecoming. — Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 The memoir also details Cooper’s crippling, career-stalling struggles with substance abuse during the late ‘70s and goes into depth about his subsequent re-embrace of Christianity and his current beliefs and practices. — Gary Graff, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026 Tropical disturbance in the Gulf Coast Rain is expected to continue in central Florida, where a stalling frontal system is now draped. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalling
  1. blocking
  2. decelerating
  3. halting
  4. dying
  5. slowing
  6. stopping
  7. crashing
  8. catching
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
Definition of blocking
Adjective
  • The stock has declined nearly 28% in 2026, largely due to concerns over the social media platform’s decelerating year-over-year traffic growth and its sensitivity to macroeconomic conditions.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of decelerating
Verb
  • Since then, the administration has opened the doors to more than 16,000 white South Africans while halting virtually all other immigration.
    — Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Zelenskyy said Ukraine's priorities for the talks were halting strikes on energy and critical infrastructure, unblocking Black Sea grain shipments and expanding prisoner exchanges.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • Arthur is dying for the family to find out about Reggie’s son Carmelo (Jalyn Hall) and his secret relationship with Delilah Basmati (Arica Himmel), daughter of Reggie’s nemesis, Jerry Basmati (Craig Robinson).
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026
  • People are dying regularly from lithium-ion batteries and people are being disfigured.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of dying
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of slowing
Verb
  • Cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum had Tampa Bay's other picks, with the last turnover stopping a second-half drive in Bucs territory when Atlanta still had an opportunity to get back into the game.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • At the rear, stopping duties are handled by a 230-mm disc and a two-piston caliper, also using 27-mm pistons.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • After starting in the middle of the night, candidates get about four hours of sleep over the next five days and complete tasks like carrying logs, launching boats into crashing waves, lying in cold ocean water and running around 200 miles.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • An entire home was lifted from its foundation and floated down the river before crashing into a pedestrian bridge.
    — Christopher Weber, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong crashes into the wall after catching a fly ball against the White Sox on May 17, 2026, at Rate Field.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Hawkins had 303 yards passing on just 11 completions, with redshirt freshman Taron Francis catching his first three passes of the season for 169 yards, including a 73-yard TD.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of catching

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Cite this Entry

“Stalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalling. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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