1
a
: a compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn
b
: a space marked off for parking a motor vehicle
2
a
: a seat in the chancel of a church with back and sides wholly or partly enclosed
b
: a church pew
c
chiefly British
: a front orchestra seat in a theater
—usually used in plural
3
: a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale
4
: a protective sheath for a finger or toe
5
: a small compartment
a shower stall
especially
: one with a toilet or urinal
stalled; stalling; stalls
1
: to put into or keep in a stall
2
obsolete
: install sense 2
1
: to come to a standstill (as from mired wheels or engine failure)
2
: to experience a stall in flying
: the condition of an airfoil or aircraft in which excessive angle of attack causes disruption of airflow with attendant loss of lift
: a ruse to deceive or delay
stalled; stalling; stalls
: to play for time : delay
: to hold off, divert, or delay by evasion or deception
Synonyms
Examples of stall in a Sentence
Verb (1)
endless complaints stalled the process of selecting the winning design for the memorial
the engine stalls sometimes when it's very cold outside
Recent Examples on the Web
Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 May 2024
Working for a last shot, Allen stalled with the ball for about 30 seconds.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024
Negotiations over a cease-fire that would release a number of hostages have stalled, with Israel and Hamas at odds over the conditions for a truce.
—Kayla Guo, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Doug Burgum impressed, Ron DeSantis imploded, Mike Pence withdrew, Nikki Haley stalled, and Vivek Ramaswamy annoyed.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 18 May 2024
However, the bill stalled out in the House, where some Republicans object to its cost.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 16 May 2024
The transit village is stalled, however, stymied by the tech titan’s current regimen of cost controls, layoffs and cutbacks in Google’s real estate footprint.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024
The program would eventually stall out due to leadership changes in the department, but not before this prototype was built.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
The initiatives were once part of Build Back Better, Biden’s gargantuan legislative agenda that stalled on Capitol Hill two years ago.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
Enjoy wines from Paso Robles and Lodi and around the world, as well as craft beer at the festival’s beer garden, then browse the art stalls and food offerings.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
That's a change from Wauwatosa's parking lot standards that require a drive aisle width of 24 feet for two-way traffic with 90-degree parking lot stalls.
—Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024
As negotiations stall, hopes are scarce, yet on both sides people try to cling to bright spots.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2024
Here are all seven stalls at the Gangnam Food Hall with what to get, and skip.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Many places only have one larger stall, which is often occupied by a non-handicapped person.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
Speaking of rice, what’s behind the name Workout Rice, another food hall stall?
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
The shower was a tiny, tiled stall behind a folding screen.
—Brittney Griner, TIME, 3 May 2024
Verb
The film’s momentum oddly stalls once its heroine reaches the city, while outsiders may find that the Aita tradition is more mythologized than it is clearly explained.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 May 2024
Working for a last shot, Allen stalled with the ball for about 30 seconds.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024
Negotiations over a cease-fire that would release a number of hostages have stalled, with Israel and Hamas at odds over the conditions for a truce.
—Kayla Guo, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Doug Burgum impressed, Ron DeSantis imploded, Mike Pence withdrew, Nikki Haley stalled, and Vivek Ramaswamy annoyed.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 18 May 2024
However, the bill stalled out in the House, where some Republicans object to its cost.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 16 May 2024
The transit village is stalled, however, stymied by the tech titan’s current regimen of cost controls, layoffs and cutbacks in Google’s real estate footprint.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024
The program would eventually stall out due to leadership changes in the department, but not before this prototype was built.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 May 2024
The initiatives were once part of Build Back Better, Biden’s gargantuan legislative agenda that stalled on Capitol Hill two years ago.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Noun
When the campers proved impractical, Mr. Guidi and some volunteers began in 2013 to build heated one-room cottages with appliances and shower stalls.
—Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
Enjoy wines from Paso Robles and Lodi and around the world, as well as craft beer at the festival’s beer garden, then browse the art stalls and food offerings.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024
That's a change from Wauwatosa's parking lot standards that require a drive aisle width of 24 feet for two-way traffic with 90-degree parking lot stalls.
—Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024
As negotiations stall, hopes are scarce, yet on both sides people try to cling to bright spots.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2024
Here are all seven stalls at the Gangnam Food Hall with what to get, and skip.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Many places only have one larger stall, which is often occupied by a non-handicapped person.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
Speaking of rice, what’s behind the name Workout Rice, another food hall stall?
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
The shower was a tiny, tiled stall behind a folding screen.
—Brittney Griner, TIME, 3 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stall
Cite this Entry
“Stall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stall. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stall
1 of 5 noun1
: a compartment for a domestic animal in a stable or barn
2
a
: a seat in the choir of a church with back and sides wholly or partly enclosed
b
chiefly British
: a front orchestra seat in a theater
—usually used in plural
3
: a booth, stand, or counter at which articles are displayed for sale
4
: a small compartment
a shower stall
especially
: one with a toilet or urinal
stall
2 of 5 verb1
: to put into or keep in a stall
2
: to stop or cause to stop usually by accident
stall an engine
3
: to experience or cause (an aircraft) to experience a stall in flying
stall
3 of 5 noun
: the condition of an aircraft or a wing of an aircraft in which lift is lost and the aircraft or wing tends to drop
stall
4 of 5 noun
: a trick to deceive or delay
stall
5 of 5 verb
: to distract attention or make excuses to gain time
try to stall them until I get the place cleaned up
Etymology
Noun
Old English steall "stall for an animal"
Noun
an altered form of earlier stale "lure"
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