stale·mate
Audio Help [steyl-meyt] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -mat·ed, -mat·ing.
Audio Help [steyl-meyt] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -mat·ed, -mat·ing. –noun
–verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | 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. |
| 2. | any position or situation in which no action can be taken or progress made; deadlock: Talks between union and management resulted in a stalemate. |
| 3. | to subject to a stalemate. |
| 4. | to bring to a standstill. |
| 5. | to be or result in a stalemate or standoff: Negotiations stalemated when new salary demands were introduced. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
stalemate
To learn more about stalemate visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| stale·mate
Audio Help (stāl'māt') Pronunciation Key
n.
tr.v. stale·mat·ed, stale·mat·ing, stale·mates To bring into a stalemate. [Obsolete stale (from Middle English, probably from Anglo-Norman estale, fixed position, from Old French estal; see stale1) + mate2.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
stalemate
1765, in chess, from stale "stalemate" (1425) + mate "checkmate" (see checkmate). M.E. stale is probably from Anglo-Fr. estale "standstill" (see stall (2)). A misnomer, since a stale is not a mate. "In England from the 17th c. to the beginning of the 19th c. the player who received stalemate won the game" [OED]. Fig sense is recorded from 1885.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| stalemate | |
noun | |
| 1. | a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; "reached an impasse on the negotiations" [syn: deadlock] |
| 2. | drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check |
verb | |
| 1. | subject to a stalemate |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
stalemate1 [ˈsteilmeit] noun
a position in chess in which a player cannot move without putting his king in danger
stalemate2 [ˈsteilmeit] noun
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
in any contest, dispute etc, a position in which neither side can win
Example: The recent discussions ended in stalemate.
Example: The recent discussions ended in stalemate.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Stalemate
Stale"mate`\, n. (Chess) The position of the king when he can not move without being placed on check and there is no other piece which can be moved.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Stalemate
Stale"mate`\, v. t. (Chess) To subject to a stalemate; hence, to bring to a stand.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Perform a new search, or try your search for "stalemate" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms














