stall

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈstȯl 

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

stall

2 of 5

verb (1)

stalled; stalling; stalls

transitive verb

1

: to put into or keep in a stall

2

obsolete : install sense 2

3

a

: to bring to a standstill : block

especially : mire

b

: to cause (an engine) to stop usually inadvertently

c

: to cause (an aircraft or airfoil) to go into a stall

intransitive verb

1

: to come to a standstill (as from mired wheels or engine failure)

2

: to experience a stall in flying

stall

3 of 5

noun (2)

: the condition of an airfoil or aircraft in which excessive angle of attack causes disruption of airflow with attendant loss of lift

stall

4 of 5

noun (3)

: a ruse to deceive or delay

stall

5 of 5

verb (2)

stalled; stalling; stalls

intransitive verb

: to play for time : delay

transitive verb

: to hold off, divert, or delay by evasion or deception

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• arrest
• bring up
• catch
• check
• draw up
• fetch up
• halt
• hold up
• pull up
• stay
• still
• stop

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

Verb

The first drive of the third quarter stalled because of a sack given up by rookie guard Sataoa Laumea and a penalty for an ineligible player downfield. —Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

As Google and other sites dominate digital advertising, a recent effort in the California Legislature to force the tech companies to compensate news organizations stalled. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024

Noun

Mattias Samuelsson sat at his locker stall with his face in his hands for several moments as reporters filed into the room. —Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

The companies recently celebrated the activation of their 2,000th charging stall. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English steall; akin to Old High German stal place, stall and perhaps to Latin locus (Old Latin stlocus) place

Noun (3) and Verb (2)

alteration of stale lure

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1916, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1846, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1903, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing stall

• box stall
• stall-feed
• whip stall

Kids Definition

stall

1 of 5 noun

ˈstȯl 

1

: 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 verb

1

: 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"