stale·mate
ˈstāl-ˌmāt 
1
: a drawing position in chess in which a player is not in checkmate but has no legal move to play
2
: a drawn contest : deadlock
also
: the state of being stalemated
stalemated; stalemating; stalemates
: to bring into a stalemate
Synonyms
Examples of stalemate in a Sentence
Noun
The budget debate ended in a stalemate.
The new agreement could break the stalemate.
The budget debate ended in stalemate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024
The edge went to Trump at +0.3 on Friday, +.01 Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon were an even stalemate.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Nov. 2024
Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Nov. 2024
See The Masked Singer season 12's first performance, new costumes, and Ken Jeong losing his mind
06 of 06
Chess Piece
Will the celebrity under this mask have the audience screaming checkmate or stalemate?
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stalemate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The edge went to Trump at +0.3 on Friday, +.01 Monday morning and by Monday afternoon were an even stalemate.
—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2024
The edge went to Trump at +0.3 on Friday, +.01 Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon were an even stalemate.
—Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
This includes bringing an end to stalemate in Ukraine, holding China in check, and establishing a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Nov. 2024
See The Masked Singer season 12's first performance, new costumes, and Ken Jeong losing his mind
06 of 06
Chess Piece
Will the celebrity under this mask have the audience screaming checkmate or stalemate?
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stalemate
Dictionary Entries Near stalemate
Cite this Entry
“Stalemate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalemate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stalemate
1 of 2 noun
stale·mate
ˈstā(ə)l-ˌmāt
1
: a position in chess that results in a draw when the only piece to be moved is the king which cannot be moved without being exposed to attack by the other player's piece
2
: a drawn or undecided contest : deadlock
the two sides reached a stalemate in their negotiations
stalemate
2 of 2 verb
stalemated; stalemating
: to bring into a stalemate
the talks were stalemated over the issue of payment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share