stalemate
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.
any position or situation in which no action can be taken or progress made; deadlock: Talks between union and management resulted in a stalemate.
to subject to a stalemate.
to bring to a standstill.
to be or result in a stalemate or standoff: Negotiations stalemated when new salary demands were introduced.
Origin of stalemate
1Other words for stalemate
Other words from stalemate
- un·stale·mat·ed, adjective
Words Nearby stalemate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stalemate in a sentence
Even if they do break the stalemate, it’s unclear whether the PUA will be extended.
A key pandemic unemployment program is set to expire, even as 11 million Americans rely on it | Courtenay Brown | September 25, 2020 | AxiosSenate Republicans are set to vote on their own legislation this week for another round of stimulus amid a stalemate on Capitol Hill over what the next package should look like.
If the stalemate continues, the hardest-hit states may have to start taking aggressive measures very soon.
COVID-19 has another long-term side effect: A shrinking tax base | cleaf2013 | August 31, 2020 | FortuneAfter several years of stalemates, Netflix has opened up a dominant lead over rival HBO in Emmy nominations.
Netflix has pulled way ahead of HBO in the battle for prestige TV dominance | Adam Epstein | July 28, 2020 | QuartzWhich is why GE is looking to the future to break the stalemate.
GE Will 3D Print the Bases of Wind Turbines Taller Than Seattle’s Space Needle | Jason Dorrier | June 21, 2020 | Singularity Hub
And finally, there is the fact that most of the culture wars have reached a stalemate.
By late August it looked like stalemate was almost certainly the tragic outcome of the years of war.
Atlanta’s Fall Foretold The End Of Civil War Bloodshed | Marc Wortman | September 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere are thought pieces on the inevitable outcome of Twitter fights (likely a stalemate, depending on who you read).
Webb believes he is just the sort of centrist leader who can break the Democrat-Republican stalemate in Washington.
Coup attempts in the past have failed to do much more than add to chaos before a return to an uneasy stalemate.
Along the Italian front the summer had developed something of the same kind of stalemate that had existed in France.
However, at least for the moment, he had reached a stalemate.
Trading Jeff and his Dog | James Arthur KjelgaardWhat is needed, therefore, is some hint or lead which will break this stalemate.
Francis Drake and the California Indians, 1579 | Robert F. HeizerA stalemate existed between them in this strange battle, the like of which Ross's world had not known before.
The Time Traders | Andre NortonJust how long that stalemate would have lasted they were not to know for another player came on the board.
Plague Ship | Andre Norton
British Dictionary definitions for stalemate
/ (ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt) /
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
a situation in which two opposing forces find that further action is impossible or futile; deadlock
(tr) to subject to a stalemate
Origin of stalemate
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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