1
as in blocking
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2
as in procrastinating
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1
as in halting
to bring (something) to a standstill
endless complaints stalled the process of selecting the winning design for the memorial
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2
as in dying
to stop functioning
the engine stalls sometimes when it's very cold outside
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Recent Examples of stalling
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Taking care of ourselves can feel like a lot of work, maybe even stalling us from doing anything at all.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
When a deal drags on because an owner is stalling or being defensive, the business buyer loses interest.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Plaintiffs’ attorneys have accused SCE of stalling settlement talks while pushing for its own compensation program.
—Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
By recycling internal energy rather than relying on the grid, these on-board batteries could slash power consumption and offer a compact solution to the massive energy demands currently stalling quantum growth.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Schauffele missed the Farmers last year for the first time in a decade while recovering from a rib injury, stalling his major momentum.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Its price is stalling, volumes are limp, and longtime believers are looking to equities, precious metals and prediction markets.
—Phil Serafino, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
However, one analyst suggests that Strategy is investing so much in Bitcoin because this legislation, despite stalling, should pass sometime soon.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows promised swift action and vowed to brook no more stalling tactics from Democrats.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
While the middle class is stalling, to put it mildly, the irredeemably rich appear to be getting even richer.
—Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Taking care of ourselves can feel like a lot of work, maybe even stalling us from doing anything at all.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
When a deal drags on because an owner is stalling or being defensive, the business buyer loses interest.
—Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Plaintiffs’ attorneys have accused SCE of stalling settlement talks while pushing for its own compensation program.
—Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
By recycling internal energy rather than relying on the grid, these on-board batteries could slash power consumption and offer a compact solution to the massive energy demands currently stalling quantum growth.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Schauffele missed the Farmers last year for the first time in a decade while recovering from a rib injury, stalling his major momentum.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Its price is stalling, volumes are limp, and longtime believers are looking to equities, precious metals and prediction markets.
—Phil Serafino, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
However, one analyst suggests that Strategy is investing so much in Bitcoin because this legislation, despite stalling, should pass sometime soon.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stalling
Verb
-
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction immediately halting all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas and an area of southern New Mexico for 10 days.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
However, in October, Chinese regulators, including the People’s Bank of China, advised against the plan, effectively halting all progress, according to a Financial Times report, citing sources familiar with the matter.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The least massive stars take an enormous amount of time to burn through their fuel, living as red dwarfs and dying as white dwarfs, before fading away to black after roughly a quadrillion years pass.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Closer proximity of cytotoxic T cells with dying brain tumor cells was associated with longer patient survival after treatment.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the heavily Latino area of south Oklahoma City, ICE agents have been patrolling in unmarked vehicles and stopping work trucks of roofers, painters and electricians, Brooks Jimenez said.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Lily did exactly the right thing by stopping and asking first.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bad Bunny pretaped the segment inside the casita, faux-falling through the roof and quite literally crashing a family gathering before exiting to the remainder of the performance.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The Bulls failed in their attempt to construct a team around veterans through free agency and trades, briefly showing flashes of promise in the 2021-22 season before crashing back to earth.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And, through it all, stocks have continued to steadily rise, buoyed by hopes for Fed rate cuts, stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and slowing but stubborn confidence that an AI boom might reap big rewards for investors.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This winter, there’s a roster of new cookbooks catching our team’s attention.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Emily Ratajkowski is catching flights, not feelings this year.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The incident came to light after two DEA whistleblowers accused the agency of failing to address the allegations involving corruption in its Haiti operations.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2026
-
As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the administration also violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to consider the harmful environmental impacts of the project.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Millions of dollars in federal funds were set to flow once again to the Hudson River Tunnel Thursday night, after a federal court order blocking the bucks expired.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
While the popularity of these app-blocking devices increases (Novelli said the company has sold more than 60,000), questions remain about their efficacy when the people who buy them are mainly discovering the devices through the internet—and talking about them on social media.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stalling. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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