stall

A small separate space for one person or animal, often divided from others by walls.

• The horse is in its stall.
• She closed the shower stall door.
• All the toilet stalls were occupied.

Similar words: compartment, cubicle

Common phrases: shower stall, toilet stall, horse stall

A situation in which a wing stops supporting an aircraft because its angle to the air is too large.

• The pilot avoided a stall.
• A stall warning sounded in the cockpit.
• The plane lost height after entering a stall.

Common phrases: aerodynamic stall, stall warning, recover from stall

An action that delays something, often to gain more time.

• His request was just a stall.
• We recognized the question as a deliberate stall.
• The repeated stalls gave their lawyer time to arrive.

Similar words: delaying tactic, delay

Common phrases: deliberate stall, stall tactic, another stall

If a process stops moving forward, it has stopped making progress.

• The talks stalled yesterday.
• Economic growth has stalled for three months.
• Will the project stall without more money?

Similar words: stop, halt

Common phrases: talks stall, progress stall

If an engine stops unexpectedly, often because the vehicle is moving too slowly for its gear.

• The engine stalled.
• I stalled the car at the lights.
• Release the clutch slowly so you do not stall.

Similar words: cut out

Common phrases: stall the engine, car engines stall

To deliberately make someone wait or delay doing something because you need more time.

• Stop stalling and answer me.
• She stalled for time by asking another question.
• They stalled us until their manager arrived.

How to use it: stall for time (He stalled for time while his friend found the keys.)

Similar words: delay, play for time

Common phrases: stall for time, stall someone

To come to a sudden stop.

• The machine stalled suddenly.
• The conveyor stalled halfway through the job.
• A jammed mechanism caused the lift to stall.

Similar words: stop, halt

Common phrases: stall suddenly, stall halfway

To put an animal in a small separate space inside a farm building.

• They stall the horses at night.
• The farmer stalled each ox separately.
• We stall young cattle inside during winter.

Similar words: stable, house

Common phrases: stall a horse, stall the cattle