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Glite Dictionary
🤝 No winner 🤝 To block progress
to stalemate

to stalemate

2 6.7
To make a game or discussion reach a point where no one can make progress
  • verb
  • /ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt/
: bloquear
  • The ongoing conflict has stalemated, preventing any further advancements from either party.
  • stalemated conflict

They're stalemating a bit and they're in this constant state of battling off.

Examples

  • Today, the Afghanistan war is stalemated with little hope of resolution—either militarily or politically—any time soon.

    Blog text (32)

  • Perhaps those elections, in turn, can produce some new alliances that lift Iraq's stalemated politics.

    Blog text (9)

  • Obama is no Bill Clinton, but at least he'll stalemate a largely Republican Congress.

    Blog text (22)

  • For these reasons, it is particularly worrisome that American trade policy has been stalemated for four years.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The project has not made any significant progress, primarily because of stalemated inter-Korean relations since March 2001.

    Academic text (2002)

  • As a result, power sharing has never truly materialized, and Iraqi politics have largely stalemated.

    Blog text (10)

  • President Kim will probably stress the need to reactivate currently stalemated four-party talks.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Recent attempts at partial rationalization by the DOEC have been stalemated.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The negotiations have stalemated, leaving both sides unable to reach an agreement.

  • After hours of debate, the committee stalemated on the proposed policy changes.

Idioms

to reach a stalemate
1 6.2

Come to a situation where neither side can move forward or win

How Blocked

to paralyze
  • US
266 5.3
to stalemate
2 6.7
to block
∞ 3.0
to hinder
75 3.6
to stall
166 4.3
to delay
562 1.4

Surface Forms

stalemate infinitive
stalemated past
stalemated past participle
stalemating present participle
stalemates third person singular

Morphology

stalemate = stalemate (opaque) = stale + mate

The verb is a conversion from the noun 'stalemate', but that noun is a lexicalized compound whose parts do not transparently yield the modern deadlock sense.

Etymology

Stalemate as a verb comes from the same chess idea: stall ('to stop') plus mate (as in 'checkmate', to defeat). So to stalemate a negotiation or game is to stop it so no one can move forward or win.