stalemate
Americannoun
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- standstill, standoff, impasse
verb (used with object)
-
to subject to a stalemate.
-
to bring to a standstill.
verb (used without object)
noun
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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
verb
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing stalemate
Hamilton
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Check It Out, Mate: Chess Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For Putin, the visit comes amid a bloody stalemate in the war.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
From afar, headlines can feel like history looping, another geopolitical stalemate.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Oil prices climbed Friday after President Donald Trump left his two-day meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping with no real progress on the Iran-war stalemate.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Stock futures slid Tuesday as U.S. inflation picked up faster than expected in April and investors fretted over the stalemate between the U.S. and Iran in their conflict.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Negotiations between black leaders and white authorities had hardened into a tense stalemate, with the whole Southern way of life at stake.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
