stalemate
[ steyl-meyt ]
/ ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt /
noun
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.
verb (used with object), stale·mat·ed, stale·mat·ing.
to subject to a stalemate.
to bring to a standstill.
verb (used without object), stale·mat·ed, stale·mat·ing.
to be or result in a stalemate or standoff: Negotiations stalemated when new salary demands were introduced.
Origin of stalemate
OTHER WORDS FROM stalemate
un·stale·mat·ed, adjectiveWords nearby stalemate
stalagmite,
stalagmites,
stalagmometer,
stale,
stale bull,
stalemate,
stalin,
stalin peak,
stalin's purge trials,
stalin, joseph,
stalinabad
Example sentences from the Web for stalemate
British Dictionary definitions for stalemate
stalemate
/ (ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt) /
noun
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
(tr)
to subject to a stalemate
Word Origin for stalemate
C18: from obsolete
stale, from Old French
estal
stall
1 +
mate ²