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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stalemate
Al Hilal, which matched up against Real Madrid for the first time since losing to them, 5-3, in the 2023 Club World Cup Final, dueled for nearly 90 minutes to the one goal apiece stalemate before nearly seeing its efforts go to waste.
—
Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025
Houston finally broke through a 2-2 stalemate in the ninth inning against closer Jhoan Duran, who allowed a one-out walk and then a pair of singles with two outs.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 14 June 2025
After Roman Anthony followed with a walk, Rob Refsnyder struck out but Trevor Story ended the stalemate with an RBI single to right.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 July 2025
Autos and oil and gas have been the top performers in Europe, with the sectors both up by around 1.8% — potentially on hopes that the talks will break the tariff stalemate between the world's largest economies, paving the way for more deals.
—Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stalemate
Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025
Houston finally broke through a 2-2 stalemate in the ninth inning against closer Jhoan Duran, who allowed a one-out walk and then a pair of singles with two outs.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 14 June 2025
After Roman Anthony followed with a walk, Rob Refsnyder struck out but Trevor Story ended the stalemate with an RBI single to right.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 9 July 2025
Autos and oil and gas have been the top performers in Europe, with the sectors both up by around 1.8% — potentially on hopes that the talks will break the tariff stalemate between the world's largest economies, paving the way for more deals.
—Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stalemate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalemate
Noun
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The point is that in those cases, the players’ unions had the power to bring the whole sport to a halt.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
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For businesses, this means operations don’t come to a halt.—
Kwabena Osei-Sarpong,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
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The device also gets Samsung's customary seven years of update support, a tie with Google for the best in the industry.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
31 July 2025
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India Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on India this week, citing unfair trade practices and India's ties with Russia.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Negotiations to secure a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seem to have hit an impasse amid hopes from top mediators, including President Donald Trump’s Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, that a deal can be reached soon.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
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The 1,300-member Judicial Professional Employees Union, which represents probation officers, information technology analysts, assistant clerks, counselors and other support staff, announced an impasse July 2.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
9 July 2025
Noun
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The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 July 2025
Noun
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The tension continued to build until Mexico released the pressure with a set piece goal to break the deadlock in the 77th minute.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
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But even his involvement hasn't broken the deadlock.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stalemate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalemate. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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