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stalag
stalagmite
stale (1)
stale (2)
stale egg
stalefish air
stalefish grab
stalemasky air
stalemate
Stalin Peak
Stalingrad
Stalinism
stalk (1)
stalk (2)
stalk-eyed
stalking
stalking horse
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stalemate

stale·mate [ stáyl màyt ]


noun  (plural stale·mates)
Definition:
 
1. situation with no potential winners: in a contest, a situation in which neither side can take any further worthwhile action

2. chess chess situation with no winner: in chess, a situation in which no winner is possible because neither player can move a piece without placing the king in check



transitive verb  (past and past participle stale·mat·ed, present participle stale·mat·ing, 3rd person present singular stale·mates)
Definition:
 
put somebody or something into stalemate: to put somebody or something into a situation in which no further worthwhile action is possible ( often passive )

[Mid-18th century. < obsolete stale (< Anglo-Norman estale "fixed position" < Germanic) + mate2]
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