stall

¹ American  

[stawl] / stɔl /

noun

1. a compartment in a stable or shed for the accommodation of one animal.

2. a stable or shed for horses or cattle.

3. a booth or stand in which merchandise is displayed for sale, or in which some business is carried on (sometimes used in combination).

   a butcher's stall; a bookstall.

4. carrel.

5. one of a number of fixed enclosed seats in the choir or chancel of a church for the use of the clergy.

6. a pew.

7. any small compartment or booth for a specific activity or housing a specific thing.

   a shower stall.

8. a rectangular space marked off or reserved for parking a car or other vehicle, as in a parking lot.

9. an instance or the condition of causing an engine, or a vehicle powered by an engine, to stop, especially by supplying it with a poor fuel mixture or by overloading it.

10. Aeronautics. an instance or the condition of causing an aircraft to fly at an angle of attack greater than the angle of maximum lift, causing loss of control and a downward spin.

11. a protective covering for a finger or toe, as various guards and sheaths or one finger of a glove.

12. British. a chairlike seat in a theater, separated from others by arms or rails, especially one in the front section of the parquet.

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verb (used with object)

1. to assign to, put, or keep in a stall or stalls, as an animal or a car.

2. to confine in a stall for fattening, as cattle.

3. to cause (a motor or the vehicle it powers) to stop, especially by supplying it with a poor fuel mixture or overloading it.

4. Aeronautics.

   1. to put (an aircraft) into a stall.

   2. to lose control of or crash (an aircraft) from so doing.

5. to bring to a standstill; check the progress or motion of, especially unintentionally.

6. to cause to stick fast, as in mire or snow.

verb (used without object)

1. (of an engine, car, aircraft, etc.) to be stalled or go through the process of stalling (sometimes followed byout ).

2. to come to a standstill; be brought to a stop.

3. to stick fast, as in mire.

4. to occupy a stall, as an animal.

stall ² American  

[stawl] / stɔl /

verb (used without object)

1. to delay, especially by evasion or deception.

2. Sports. to prolong holding the ball as a tactic to prevent the opponent from scoring, as when one's team has the lead.

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verb (used with object)

1. to delay or put off, especially by evasion or deception (often followed byoff ).

   He stalled the police for 15 minutes so his accomplice could get away.

noun

1. a pretext, as a ruse, trick, or the like, used to delay or deceive.

2. Underworld Slang. the member of a pickpocket's team who distracts the victim long enough for the theft to take place.

3. Sports. slowdown.

stall ¹ British  

/ stɔːl /

noun

1. 1. a compartment in a stable or shed for confining or feeding a single animal

   2. another name for stable 1

2. a small often temporary stand or booth for the display and sale of goods

3. 1. one of a row of seats, usually divided from the others by armrests or a small screen, for the use of the choir or clergy

   2. a pen

4. an instance of an engine stalling

5. a condition of an aircraft in flight in which a reduction in speed or an increase in the aircraft's angle of attack causes a sudden loss of lift resulting in a downward plunge

6. any small room or compartment

7. 1. a seat in a theatre or cinema that resembles a chair, usually fixed to the floor

   2. (plural) the area of seats on the ground floor of a theatre or cinema nearest to the stage or screen

8. a tubelike covering for a finger, as in a glove

9. (plural) short for starting stalls

10. to make the necessary arrangements for the achievement of something and show that one is determined to achieve it

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verb

1. to cause (a motor vehicle or its engine) to stop, usually by incorrect use of the clutch or incorrect adjustment of the fuel mixture, or (of an engine or motor vehicle) to stop, usually for these reasons

2. to cause (an aircraft) to go into a stall or (of an aircraft) to go into a stall

3. to stick or cause to stick fast, as in mud or snow

4. (tr) to confine (an animal) in a stall

stall ² British  

/ stɔːl /

verb

1. to employ delaying tactics towards (someone); be evasive

2. (intr) sport to play or fight below one's best in order to deceive

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noun

1. an evasive move; pretext

Other Word Forms

• stall-like adjective

Etymology

Origin of stall¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English steall; cognate with German Stall, Old Norse stallr; akin to Old English stellan, German stellen “to put, place”

Origin of stall²

First recorded in 1400–00; Middle English stal(e) “decoy bird; person used as a decoy in a scheme” (from Anglo-French estale ), Old English stæl- “decoy” (as in stælhrān “decoy reindeer”); akin to stall ¹

Explanation

Stall means to stop or delay. If your car stalls, it comes to a stop. When you want a horse to stop, you put him in a stall, or small enclosure inside a barn. The word stall implies stopping something that will start again — a horse will leave the stall eventually and start moving, a stalled car can be restarted. Remember that when you're thinking about stall in the sense of postpone or delay. You can stall your professor from giving an exam by talking about last night’s big game. Your little sister can stall going to bed by asking for one more story. If you want to delay an approaching army, you might steal their boots — they'll still come but the "stall tactic" will buy you time.

Example Sentences

They pressure public officials to stop, stall or otherwise complicate new solar projects with an array of arguments that now go beyond just land use to include public health.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

At the end of their gigs, up-and-coming Norwich country-rock band Brown Horse jump from the stage to their merchandise stall.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

“He attained absolute power and lost sight of the goal,” said milk farmer Imre Barna, 32, standing in front of a stall selling “Make Hungary Great Again” T-shirts with Orbán’s picture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

“By contrast, if talks stall and inflation surprises to the upside, renewed geopolitical and monetary policy tightening concerns could push BTC back toward the $60k—65k range.”

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

I start to head for the bathroom, to sit in a stall until I feel better again, but before I take another step, I hear a voice behind me.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

Related Words

• halt
• hamper
• hinder
• interrupt
• postpone
• put off
• slow
• stay
• stop
• suspend