stalemate

American  

[stayl-mayt] / ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt /

noun

• stalemates
  plural

1. Chess. a position of the pieces in which a player cannot move any piece except the king and cannot move the king without putting it in check.

2. any position or situation in which no action can be taken or progress made; deadlock.

   Talks between union and management resulted in a stalemate.

   Synonyms:

   standstill, standoff, impasse

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verb (used with object)

• stalemates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stalemated,
  past participle,  past
• stalemating
  present participle

1. to subject to a stalemate.

2. to bring to a standstill.

verb (used without object)

• stalemates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stalemated,
  past participle,  past
• stalemating
  present participle

1. to be or result in a stalemate or standoff.

   Negotiations stalemated when new salary demands were introduced.

stalemate British  

/ ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt /

noun

1. a chess position in which any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check: in this position the game ends in a draw

2. a situation in which two opposing forces find that further action is impossible or futile; deadlock

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verb

1. (tr) to subject to a stalemate

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unstalemated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stalemates
  plural

Participles

• stalemating
  present
• stalemated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stalemate
  simple
• stalemates
  simple
• have stalemated
  perfect
• has stalemated
  perfect
• am stalemating
  progressive
• are stalemating
  progressive
• is stalemating
  progressive
• have been stalemating
  perfect progressive
• has been stalemating
  perfect progressive

Past

• stalemated
  simple
• had stalemated
  perfect
• was stalemating
  progressive
• were stalemating
  progressive
• had been stalemating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stalemate
  simple
• will have stalemated
  perfect
• will be stalemating
  progressive
• will have been stalemating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stalemate

1755–65; late Middle English stale stalemate (whence Anglo-French estale ) (apparently special use of stale ¹ ) + mate ²

Explanation

A stalemate is an impasse in a contest, a point where neither player — usually in chess — can win or lose. Stalemate is from an Old French word, estal, which means “place, position, or stand.” To be in a stalemate with an opponent is to be in a locked position, or a stalled place, where neither player can make a profitable move. Chess is the most common context for a stalemate, but any contest or negotiation can result in a stalemate: "The discussions about buying their competitor’s waffle house reached a stalemate and the deal died."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stalemate stalemates stalemated stalemating

In 2022, after years of stalemate, the government and rebels signed on to a ceasefire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Earlier, Boutcher said that the stalemate meant the police had "once again become the shock absorber of our society".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

That would make the current stalemate in Iran unsustainable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The three cars circulated together in a stalemate, with no-one able to pass and the teams all waiting for the expected accident that would lead to a safety car and a cheap pit stop.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But with the requested reinforcements, the stalemate might be snapped.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

There have been a lot of draws at this tournament but that doesn't mean they've all been dull stalemates, and the match I've most enjoyed so far was the Netherlands' draw with Japan.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

The fear was that increasing the field by 50% would dilute the competition beyond recognition, leading to a parade of uncomfortable blowouts or overly conservative stalemates between teams desperate to avoid national humiliation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

America’s Global War on Terror has seen its share of stalemates, disasters, and outright defeats.

From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2023

The Senate Republican leader has played a key role in resolving past stalemates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2023

The months subsequent were an endless dreary battle of paperwork, full of stalemates, fought in trenches.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

While the shadow of the stalemated war with Iran looms over the market, Wall Street has been booming, thanks largely to tech stocks.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

Also, 17 of the 19 Tests were drawn, including three consecutive stalemated series.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the group in a stalemated conflict since 2015.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024

That’s a rare advance in a stalemated Congress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

As always, the conversation stalemated with “None of it really makes any sense.”

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

Hill totaled a team-high six tackles — including a stalemating hit at the line of scrimmage on a blitz — in his first game in crimson and gray.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

The Rams were without Cooper Kupp, but the Green Bay’s cornerbacks still deserve ample credit for stalemating a great receiving corps.

From Reuters ● Nov. 1, 2018

McLendon proved excellent at stalemating and disengaging from blockers in spot duty last season.

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2012

Franklin plays with tremendous leverage and is nearly peerless when it comes to moving laterally while stalemating two offensive linemen.

From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2011

By a remarkably ingenious device White averts the loss of the game by stalemating himself as follows:— 1.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various

Related Words

• delay
• gridlock
• impasse
• standoff
• standstill