1
as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
a new negotiator finally got both sides past the stalemate
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2
as in tie
a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other
after playing chess for 16 hours, we ended the game in a stalemate
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Recent Examples of stalemate
As the stalemate continued, the city filed a lawsuit against hotel ownership seeking $5 million in damages, ultimately leading to a settlement in November that cleared the way for the building’s demise.
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Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 16 Mar. 2025
Some temporary stalemates are fully resolved over time—consider Germany, which reunified in 1990, four decades after its division.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025
Jokic’s 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists helped ensure a season split between the Nuggets and Thunder and a head-to-head stalemate between MVP candidates.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2025
Russian politics expert Peter Rutland told Newsweek that the war desperately needs third-party mediation to break the stalemate.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stalemate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalemate
Noun
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In today’s interconnected world, a virus emerging in one corner of the globe can bring entire economies to a halt and overwhelm healthcare systems thousands of miles away.—
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Community backlash forced revisions to the flawed plan and brought the zoning rewrite to a halt.—
Noun
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There was a four-way tie for fourth place, with Rubio, Ramaswamy, Haley and Kennedy all receiving 3% support.—
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The home run was the fifth of the season for Suárez, who broke a tie with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the major league lead.—
Noun
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The impasse raises the likelihood that the debt ceiling will be dealt with separately as part of a deal with the Democrats on wildfire aid later this year.—
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Don't be surprised if Beijing and Washington use this impasse as a bargaining chip in tariff talks.—
Noun
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Spurs saw that intensity first-hand in the 2-2 draw with them in north London on March 9, where the visitors took 17 shots while nicking the ball eight times in the attacking third.—
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This commonality is the show — and podcast’s — key draw: everyone has places to be.—
Noun
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Their most recent ethics complaints stalled in a partisan deadlock in the Senate’s ethics committee earlier this month.—
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But in the 66th minute, Kamada – who had earlier come off the bench – slotted home to break the deadlock.—
Cite this Entry
“Stalemate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalemate. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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