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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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
Yale sees things differently, and its filings portray Rignol as stalling and evasive. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 Landlords found other ways to circumvent the law, such as pressuring residents into making side payments and stalling paperwork. — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 The influx of moisture and that storm system’s stalling front have already produced bands of rain in eastern Tennessee, southern Virginia and northern North Carolina. — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 The cost of that approach can balloon quickly, stalling integration efforts as officials grapple with limited funds. — Derek Williams, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Two Boston city councilors are pushing for a change in city law that would require Mayor Michelle Wu to report street projects annually as Wu faces criticism for stalling road work before a city employee was killed by a truck. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026 In the meantime, Rodríguez has been solidifying her influence in Washington—hiring a lobbyist and cultivating people who might benefit from stalling a transition. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 Slow play issues on tour are ongoing, with players referencing high-level statistical plans and detailed yardage books during rounds, stalling play. — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Penelope remains faithful and rules Ithaca in his absence, cunningly stalling her suitors. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 July 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
  • That followed the exchange's sell-side sidecar on the Kospi earlier Tuesday, temporarily halting program trading for 5 minutes.
    — Joseph Wilkins,Justina Lee,Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 July 2026
  • As Ebola cases in eastern Congo near 3,000 with more than 1,300 deaths, unpaid health workers strike at a key treatment center, halting care in the outbreak’s epicenter.
    — Prosper Heri Ngorora, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • The effect was named after Nelson Mandela, who many people seemed to remember dying in the 1980s while in prison in South Africa; he actually had been released from jail, served as President of South Africa and died in 2013.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • My peach tree is developing white growths on the limbs and some are dying.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 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
  • Nets, Disruptions, and Camouflage Close reading, however, reveals a few telling details about what the Pentagon views as best practices for stopping and killing drones.
    — Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Defeat technologies are an essential piece in the kill chain, as detection is only the first step to stopping the threat.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • Roughly a week and a half on from the end of one of the best ever World Cups, news has dropped that bring FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino – fresh off their massive win in North America – crashing back down to Earth.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 29 July 2026
  • The backstory for his character was an undead electronic music producer who came back from crashing his Ferrari in order to keep making sick beats.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • According to the American Cancer Society, catching cancer from another person is essentially impossible.
    — Dr. Yonathan Daniel, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • There are countless things to do in the game, from catching Pals to breeding them to building elaborate bases to exploring the world.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of catching

Browse Nearby Words

stalled
stalling
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Cite this Entry

“Stalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalling. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of stalling for Spanish Speakers

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