stalling 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in blocking

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in procrastinating

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dying
to stop functioning the engine stalls sometimes when it's very cold outside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Remnants of Dolly, a stalling front from the southeast that is pushing wet weather into South Florida, and a low pressure system in the Gulf pumping moisture our way, are the wack weather problems that could wash away your outside activities. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 That is why Gen AI adoption keeps stalling even in organizations where senior leaders have approved the budget, picked the platform, and announced the mandate. — Gleb Tsipursky, Harvard Business Review, 1 Sep. 2026 Similar legislation failed to pass in 2023 after stalling in a committee hearing, and in 2018 after pushback from the American Civil Liberties Union. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Despite multiple warnings issued by Elizabeth Police to stay off the roads, CBS News New York saw many drivers take their chances and pay the price, getting stuck or stalling. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 More news Endangered mountain lions are stalling a plan to build 400 residences on Woodland Hills golf course. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 While the White House agreed in July to grant Ukraine a license to build Patriots, manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are stalling a joint-production deal as executives weigh feasibility and licensing hits red tape, DefenseNews reported. — Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Are accounts entering the pipeline and moving or stalling after the first call? — Kelly Hopping, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Observers note a similar transactional caution in Trump stalling on a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan—the largest ever—to avoid derailing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Aug. 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
  • Either the Chiefs or Broncos have won the division for the past 16 seasons, with Denver halting Kansas City’s nine-year streak of division championships last year.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The space agency resumed observations with the telescope late last month after halting them early this year to conserve power.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • United’s head coach had a face like thunder post-match, and understandably so after his team allowed two points to slip through their grasp in the dying seconds.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Looks like the method acting (stopping his heart medication in order to play a dying man) paid off.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Sep. 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
  • Republicans edge out Democrats on keeping people safe, crime prevention, and reducing and stopping violent crime.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • With Doak’s game clock defunct, ESPN peeled off one of its scorebug operators to shadow the officials, starting and stopping the on-screen time by hand, second by second.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • It had been stored beneath an open-sided Florida carport when the storm's violent winds brought the structure crashing down onto it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
  • As Hernández motored around the bases, JJ Bleday, crashing in from left field, secured the ball and fired to De La Cruz, who was situated in shallow center.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • Smith answered Saturday against Ball State, catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns — all before halftime — and striking the pose after his second score.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • An angler could have a ton of fun catching bluegills under the lights with fly fishing gear.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of catching

Browse Nearby Words

stalled
stalling
stallion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalling. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All