26984 words

stall

17 definitions • 22 examples
1
a large table or a small shop with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place:

Examples:

In the village market, the stalls are piled high with local vegetables.
2
a small closed area within a farm building in which there is space for one animal to be kept
3
a small area of a room that is separated from the main part of the room by walls or curtains:

Examples:

shower stall There was one bathroom with a shower stall in the corner.
4
rows of fixed seats in a church, often with the sides and backs connected:

Examples:

Members of the public were invited to sit in the choir stalls.
5
the seats on the main floor of a theatre or cinema, not at a higher level:

Examples:

As he came onto the stage, a woman threw flowers from the stalls.
6
If an engine stalls, or if you stall it, it stops working suddenly and without you intending it to happen:

Examples:

A car may stall due to the driver braking too suddenly.
I stalled the car twice during my driving test but still managed to pass.
7
to delay taking action or avoid giving an answer in order to have more time to make a decision or get an advantage:

Examples:

stall (for time) She says she'll give me the money next week but I think she's just stalling (for time).
8
If you stall a person, you delay them or prevent them from doing something for a period of time:

Examples:

I managed to stall him for a few days until I'd got enough money to pay back the loan.
stall someone off mainly US The thief broke into the office while his accomplice stalled off the security guard.
9
to stop making progress:

Examples:

10
If you stall an event, you delay it or prevent it from making progress:

Examples:

11
to delay or put off action:

Examples:

[ I ] They’re just stalling, trying to avoid making a decision.
[ T ] I can stall him for a few minutes.
12
to cause a vehicle or engine to stop suddenly, or of a vehicle or engine to stop suddenly:

Examples:

[ I ] My car stalled at the traffic light.
13
a separate area in which an animal is kept
14
A stall is also a small enclosed space used for a particular purpose:

Examples:

The bathroom had a tiled shower stall.
15
if a process or system stalls or something stalls it, it suddenly stops developing or making progress:

Examples:

Japan's economic growth has stalled.
I don't believe there was a deliberate plan to stall the process.
16
if someone stalls, they do not answer a question immediately or continue a discussion, in order to give themselves more time to think:

Examples:

"I have to look it up on my machine at home," he said stalling for time.
17
a table or structure from which someone sells things on the street or in an outdoor market:

Examples:

She set up a stall at the fair to sell her jewelery.
A long row of market stalls was filled with every kind of food you could imagine.

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