stalemate
stalemate Lexical Profile
stalemate Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A situation in which further action or progress by opposing or competing parties seems impossible, resulting in a deadlock.
"Contract negotiations between the union and management reached a stalemate after neither side agreed to compromise on wages."
A position in chess in which the player whose turn it is to move has no legal move available and their king is not in check, resulting in an automatic draw.
"Although she was down by a rook, she cleverly sacrificed her remaining pieces to force a stalemate."
• verb
To bring (a conflict, negotiation, or opponent) to a standstill where neither side can advance or win.
"Persistent disagreements over budget allocations stalemated the committee for weeks."
To place (an opponent's king) in a position with no legal moves while not in check, thereby ending a chess game in a draw.
"Moving the queen to that square will accidentally stalemate your opponent instead of winning the match."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 18th century from obsolete English 'stale' (from Anglo-Norman 'estale', meaning a fixed position or standstill) combined with 'mate' (short for checkmate, ultimately from Persian 'shāh māt', meaning 'the king is helpless').