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

Inflation has fallen from a 40-year peak of 9.1% in 2022, but the last stretch to meet the Fed's 2% goal has stalled. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025

While former President Joe Biden sought to revive the deal, negotiations stalled, and Trump's second-term policies have further tightened sanctions. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

Noun

Relying on such info can be like relying on what’s written on a public bathroom stall. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Some 329 parking stalls are planned for the parking lot. —Mars King, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for stall

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall

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"