stall

/stoːl//stɔːl/

stall noun: a compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.

Noun (1)

stall (plural stalls)

(countable) A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.

Synonyms:

boose
A stable; a place for cattle.
- His Fellow ſought what Lodging he could find:
  At laſt he found a Stall where oxen ſtood,
  And that he rather choſe than lie abroad.1700, [John] Dryden, “The Cock and the Fox: Or, The Tale of the Nun’s Priest, from Chaucer”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 231
A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale.
- Now he goes on, and ſings of fairs and ſhows,
  For ſtill new fairs before his eyes aroſe.
  How pedlars' ſtalls with glitt'ring toys are laid,
  The various fairings of the country maid.1714, J[ohn] Gay, “Saturday; or, The Flights”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], →OCLC, page 57, lines 71–74
(countable) A small open-fronted shop, for example in a market, food court, etc.
- He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days [...]1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC
- Despite the swift backpedalling of the university, the original notice given to stall operators is suggestive of the potential existence of 'a growing English-speaking elite' that is 'happy to maintain the importance of the English language'.2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 3
A small partitioned space or roomlet used for a shower or a toilet.
- Rabbit eases from the king-size bed, goes into their bathroom with its rose-colored one-piece Fiberglas tub and shower stall, and urinates into the toilet of a matching rose porcelain.1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest
Synonyms:

cubicle
(countable) A seat in a theatre close to and (about) level with the stage; traditionally, a seat with arms, or otherwise partly enclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
(Germanic) An Heathen altar, typically an indoor one, as contrasted with a more substantial outdoor harrow.
- In a private rite, a ring is drawn on the ground around a harrow or before an indoor stall.1989, Edred Thorsson, A Book of Troth, Llewellyn Publications, →ISBN, page 156
- Some Asatruar kindreds call their indoor altars stalls and their outdoor altars harrows.2006, Selene Silverwind, “Asatruar Tools and Practices”, in Everything you need to know about Paganism, David & Charles, →ISBN, page 117
A seat in a church, especially one next to the chancel or choir, reserved for church officials and dignitaries.
A church office that entitles the incumbent to the use of a church stall.
- He had battled like a man, and gotten a man's reward — no silver tea-pots or salvers, with flowery inscriptions setting forth his virtues and the appreciation of a genteel parish; no fat living or stall, for which he never looked, and didn't care; […]1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days
- 1910 [1840], Alexandre Dumas, père, translator not mentioned, Celebrated Crimes: Urbain Grandier, P. F. Collier edition,
  When he had been some months installed there as a priest-in-charge, he received a prebendal stall, thanks to the same patrons, in the collegiate church of Sainte-Croix.
A sheath to protect the finger.
The space left by excavation between pillars.
A parking stall; a space for a vehicle in a parking lot or parkade.

Synonyms:

bay, space, spot
(obsolete, thieves slang) Synonym of stallsman (“an accomplice”).
- The "super" or watch is passed to a stall, who hurries away, while the "dip" continues on the car. No sign of recognition passes between the members of the mob when at work.1909, Ignatz Leo Nascher, The Wretches of Povertyville: A Sociological Study of the Bowery, page 204
Synonyms:

stallsman

Verb (1)

stall (third-person singular simple present stalls, present participle stalling, simple past and past participle stalled)

(transitive) To put (an animal, etc.) in a stall.
- to stall an ox
- But Niſus hit the Turns with happier haſte,
  And thoughtleſs of his Friend, the Foreſt paſs'd:
  And Alban Plains, from Alba's Name ſo call'd,
  Where King Latinus then his Oxen ſtall'd.1697, Virgil, “The Ninth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 479, lines...
To fatten.
- to stall cattle
(obsolete) To live in, or as if in, a stall; to dwell.
- I must perforce
  Haue ſhewne to thee ſuch a declining day,
  Or looke on thine: we could not ſtall together
  In the whole world.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
To place in an office with the customary formalities; to install.
- Deck'd in thy rights , as thou art stall'd in minec. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
To forestall; to anticipate.
- This is not to be staled by my report,
  This only must be told: […]1636 (first performance; published 1655), Philip Massinger, “The Bashful Lover”, in W[illiam] Gifford, editor, The Plays of Philip Massinger, […], volume IV, London: […] G[eorge] and W[illiam] Nicol...
To keep close; to keep secret.
- You haue diſcharg'd this honeſtlie, keepe it to your ſelfe, […] praie you leaue mee, ſtall this in your boſome, and I thanke you for your honeſt care: I will ſpeake with you further anon.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...

Noun (2)

stall (plural stalls)

An action that is intended to cause, or actually causes, delay.
- His encounters with security, reception, the secretary, and the assistant were all stalls until the general manager's attorney arrived.
Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed.
- The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the asymmetric stall and the ensuing roll of the aircraft because of the uncommanded retraction of the left wing outboard leading edge slats and the loss of stall warning and slat disagreement...1979 December 21, National Transportation Safety Board, “3.2 Probable Cause”, in Aircraft Accident Report: American Airlines, Inc., DC-10-10, N110AA, Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Chicago...
- The only way to account for it is a structural breakup in flight, a stall, a spin, a death spiral as we call it.1999 July 20, Mark Tran, “Did Kennedy's plane plunge in a 'death spiral'?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Verb (2)

stall (third-person singular simple present stalls, present participle stalling, simple past and past participle stalled)

(transitive) To employ delaying tactics against.
- He stalled the creditors as long as he could.
(intransitive) To employ delaying tactics; to stall for time.
- Soon it became clear that she was stalling to give him time to get away.
- See the look on my face
  From staying too long in one place
  But every time I try to leave
  I find I keep on stalling2007, KT Tunstall, “Saving My Face”, in Drastic Fantastic
(intransitive) To come to a standstill.
- On the long 1 in 100 ascent from Staveley to Heath she nearly stalled, and having taken 67¼ min. to cover the 38.2 miles to Nottingham instead of the 51 min. scheduled she gave up the ghost, and came off the train.1960 April, O. S. Nock, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 271 ("she" refers to a locomotive)
- [...] the 4-4-0 unhappily stalled after a stop on Reading Old Bank with its eight-coach load and the Reading Up Line pilot, a "Hall", had to bank the train into Reading General.1960 July, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 443
(transitive) To cause to stop making progress; to hinder; to slow down; to delay or forestall.
- In Barnhouse's mind, their screwed-up childhoods have left homosexuals stalled at an adolescent point in the normal progression of psycho-social development. Unable to attain the "normal" gender identification and separation from mother, they are forced to lead incomplete lives and thus remain...1977 December 10, Eric Rogers, “'Tolerant' Rhetoric Masks Anti-Gay Bias”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 23, page 13
- Long stretches of the railroad south from Hankow were torn up by bombs from Chennault’s planes, and their attacks limited traffic to nighttime on the parallel Hsiang River. The combined efforts of the Chinese troops at Heng-yang and Chennault’s pilots effectively stalled the Japanese advance.2001, “Ichigo, Operation”, in Stanley Sandler, editor, World War II In the Pacific: Encyclopedia, Garland Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 429
(intransitive) To exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
- The thrust levers were advanced, the first officer selected the go-around mode for the flight director, and he started to increase the pitch of the aircraft to the command bar indications, 10 degrees nose up. About one second after the first officer acknowledged the go-around, the stick shaker...1999 April 15, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, “1.1 History of the Flight”, in Aviation Investigation Report A97H0011, Loss of Control on Go-around (Rejected Landing), Air Canada Canadair...
(transitive) To cause to exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
- The pilot stalled the plane by pulling the nose up too high at a slow airspeed.
To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix.
- to stall a cart
- His horses had been stalled in the snow.1884, Edward Everett Hale, The Fortunes of Rachel
(intransitive) To stop suddenly.
(transitive) To cause the engine of a manual-transmission car or truck to stop by going too slowly for the selected gear.
(obsolete) To be stuck, as in mire or snow; to stick fast.
(obsolete) To be tired of eating, as cattle.

stall meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

stall in Hindi

small open-fronted shop: गुमटी gumṭī

stall in Tamil

bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale: சத்திரம் cattiram

stall in Urdu

stall: پنیشالا paṇyaśālā

More languagesFewer languages

stall in Bengali: দোকান, আস্তাবল
stall in Telugu: స్టాల్
stall in Malayalam: കോഷ്‌ഠം, ഇടം, തൊഴുത്ത്‌, പന്തി
stall in Kannada: ಕೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ, ಲಾಯ, ತಬೇಲಿ, ಅಂಗಡಿ
stall in Gujarati: સ્ટોલ, સ્ટોલ કરો
stall in Odia: ଷ୍ଟଲ୍, ଷ୍ଟଲ
stall in Sanskrit: पस्त्य pastyà, स्वसर svásara, पण्यशाला paṇyaśālā
stall in Nepali: स्टल
stall in Arabic: مَعْلِف maʕlif, مُرَاح murāḥ, بَسْطة basṭa
stall in Malay: gerai
stall in Persian: آخور âxur
stall in Vietnamese: gian hàng, quầy hàng, sạp hàng

Examples of stall in a sentence

But both projects have stalled, with no indication of how they would be funded.2023 September 20, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Mayor backs southern rail link for Heathrow Airport”, in RAIL, number 992, page 24:
In Barnhouse's mind, their screwed-up childhoods have left homosexuals stalled at an adolescent point in the normal progression of psycho-social development.1977 December 10, Eric Rogers, “'Tolerant' Rhetoric Masks Anti-Gay Bias”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 23, page 13:
About one second after the first officer acknowledged the go-around, the stick shaker (stall warning) activated.1999 April 15, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, “1.1 History of the Flight”, in Aviation Investigation Report A97H0011, Loss of...

All 40 example sentences with stall

Synonyms of stall

1 more synonymsFewer synonyms

procrastinate

All synonyms of stall

Forms of stall

Noun
plural	stalls
Verb
third-person singular present	stalls
present participle	stalling
past participle	stalled
past	stalled

Past tense of stall: stalled

Plural of stall: stalls

Origin of stall

From Middle English stall, stalle, from Old English steall (“standing place, position”), from Proto-Germanic *stallaz, from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place, put, post, stand”). Cognate with French étal, Italian stallo, German Stall, Swedish stall.

From Middle English stallen (“to abide, dwell, place in a location, stop, come to a standstill”), partly from Old French estaler, ultimately from the same origin as Etymology 1 (see above); and partly from Middle English stalle (“fixed position, stall”).

Words formed from stall

Phrases with stall

Words that rhyme with stall

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about stall

What does stall mean?: Stall means a compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.
What is stall in Hindi?: Stall in Hindi is गुमटी (gumṭī). See Stall meaning in Hindi.
How do you use stall in a sentence?: But both projects have stalled, with no indication of how they would be funded.
What part of speech is stall?: Stall can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce stall?: Stall is pronounced /stɔːl/ (UK).
What is the plural of stall?: The plural of stall is stalls.

Words near stall in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: stall (page history and authors); stall (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); پنیشالا (Urdu) (page history and authors); Stall (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); stall (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); stall (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); stall (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); stall (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); stall (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); पण्यशाला (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); stall (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-stall.wav.

Cite this entry: “stall.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/stall. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.