stale ‧ mate /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: stale 'stalemate' (15-18 centuries) (from Old French estal ; ⇨ ↑ stale ) + mate ( , ↑ mate 2 (3) ) ]
1 . a situation in which it seems impossible to settle an argument or disagreement, and neither side can get an advantage SYN deadlock :
an attempt to break the stalemate
The discussions with the miners’ union ended in stalemate.
2 . a position in ↑ chess in which neither player can win
—stalemate verb [transitive]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ no progress
▪ stalemate/deadlock /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/ [uncountable and countable] a situation in which no further progress can be made because two groups or organizations cannot find a way to end a disagreement:
The negotiations ended in deadlock.
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At that point the strike appeared to have reached a stalemate.
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the year-long political deadlock between the two parties
▪ impasse /æmˈpɑːs $ ˈɪmpæs/ [singular] formal a situation in which progress has stopped completely, especially because people cannot agree on what to do next:
The continuing impasse over the budget.
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The situation seemed to have reached an impasse.
▪ grind to a halt to slowly stop making any progress:
The economy seems to be grinding to a halt.
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It was clear that the peace talks had ground to a halt.