stalemate

CEFRB2

/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A situation where no side can make progress or win.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Any kind of match in which neither contestant laid claim to victory; a draw.

Examples

  • The investigation was pretty much at a stalemate.

  • We've reached a stalemate in our relationship.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but involves no personal loss.

  2. The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.

More examples

In context

  • The North Korean nuclear issue, stalemated for the past three years, is now back in play again—not before time.

  • But with the war also still largely stalemated, other theatres of conflict have become more important. In Russia’s case, that includes the secret domain.

  • Indian military analysts said the situation was heading into a dangerous stalemate. Neither side wants to start a war. But neither side wants to back down either.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The labor contract negotiations ended in a blank with no final agreement.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From stale + mate.