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
Oil tankers are now reluctant to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, stalling supplies as a result. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 July 2026 Nobody is publicly discussing details about those issues, possibly because a few previous public-private development projects in Connecticut ended up in court after stalling. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026 Russia’s war in Ukraine is stalling — on the battlefield and in the corridors of diplomacy. — Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 30 June 2026 The consumer pitch is the loud one, but Herbert thinks the bigger market is enterprise, where the same problem is stalling AI rollouts. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Some lawmakers say the Pennsylvania State Senate is stalling on a bill to increase the state's minimum wage. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 30 June 2026 The campaign, which Zelenskyy has said aims to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow’s efforts on the battlefield and heaping pressure on Putin, Western officials and analysts say. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Its success has caused fuel shortages and disrupted army supply lines, stalling Moscow’s full-scale invasion after more than four years of fighting. — Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 Thune’s chamber has particularly struggled with the SAVE America Act, with the sweeping election bill stalling in the Senate. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 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
  • After temporarily halting the regulations in May, Darwin found that only state lawmakers can make such policy decisions, according to card room industry officials, who sued to block the rule changes.
    — Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • As a means of halting the German and his squad made up of La Masia products such as Lamine Yamal, Spain internationals, and international veterans, Real Madrid president has brought back Jose Mourinho.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • Tielemans then converted a penalty in the dying minutes of extra time to seal a thrilling 3-2 win.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026
  • Actor Charlie Gordon portrays a young boy from a merchant family who was threatened by Ormund into dying his hair blond and posing as Daeron in order to keep the real prince safe.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 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
  • The driver continued northbound in the southbound lanes of Victoria Avenue before eventually stopping at Buena High School, according to authorities.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Coastal routes support port integration by stopping at dozens of small ports, enabling year-round transport and supply chains and going well beyond tourism.
    — Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of stopping
Verb
  • Ten miles south of Deetjen’s, set outdoors above the crashing surf of a secluded beach cove, the massages at wellness mecca Esalen Institute are legendary.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026
  • Jáminton Campaz got the ball past Miro Muheim before the two collided, sending the Colombian crashing to the ground.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • But this year, the city is catching a little guff over an apparent oversight.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • And that job is made all the more difficult when catching for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who holds himself and his teammates to very high standards.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 4 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on stalling

Nglish: Translation of stalling for Spanish Speakers

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 fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All