Meaning & use
stall
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To stop moving or making progress, or to make something do so, often unintentionally.
Grammar: No object when the subject stops: the talks stalled. With an object when you cause it: the storm stalled the project.
Patterns
- something stalls
- stall something
The car stalled at the traffic lights.
Negotiations stalled when neither side would compromise.
Rising costs have stalled the building work.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To avoid giving an answer or taking action so as to gain extra time.
Grammar: Often no object: he stalled. With an object it means to hold someone off: stall the reporters.
Patterns
- stall for time
- stall someone
He kept stalling because he had not decided yet.
I stalled the customer while my manager found the file.
Stop stalling and tell me what happened.
nouncountable
A table or small open-fronted booth where a seller displays goods, usually in a market.
Grammar: A countable noun: a fruit stall, two market stalls. British English also uses it for stands at fairs.
Patterns
- a market stall
- a stall selling something
She bought tomatoes from a stall near the station.
The charity set up a cake stall outside the school.
Every Saturday he runs a flower stall in the town square.
nouncountable
A compartment inside a stable or cowshed where one animal is kept.
Grammar: Countable: a horse in each stall. Also used for a compartment in a shower or restroom.
Patterns
- a stall for something
The horse was led into its stall for the night.
Each stall in the barn holds one cow.
He mucked out the stalls before breakfast.
Word forms
| third person singular | stalls |
|---|---|
| past tense | stalled |
| past participle | stalled |
| -ing form | stalling |
| plural | stalls |
Common combinations
- stall for time
- The suspect stalled for time while he thought of an excuse.
- engine stalls
- The engine stalls if you release the clutch too fast.
- talks stall
- Peace talks stalled over the border dispute.
- market stall
- Her family has run a market stall for thirty years.
- stalled progress
- Stalled progress on the bridge frustrated commuters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delay
- Delay is a neutral word for making something late, while stall often suggests deliberate dodging or a halt that causes frustration.
- stop
- Stop is a complete halt of any kind, whereas stall suggests an interruption that could start again.
- stand
- A stand is a table or booth for selling goods and is more general than a stall, which is often in a market.
- stonewall
- Stonewall means to refuse to cooperate or answer, a firmer and more hostile refusal than stalling.
Opposites
Word family
- stalling noun
- the act of delaying or an engine cutting out
- stallholder noun
- a person who runs a market stall
- stalled adjective
- stopped or held up
Commonly confused: stall or stale?
stall vs stale
Stale describes food or air that is no longer fresh, while stall is about stopping or a selling booth.
Practice
The reporter asked a direct question, but the minister kept ___ instead of answering.
Choose one answer.
Stalling means delaying an answer to gain time, which is what the minister is doing. The other verbs look similar but do not fit the context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.