Stalemate Definition

stālmāt
stalemated, stalemates, stalemating
noun
stalemates
Any unresolved situation in which further action is impossible or useless; deadlock; draw.
Webster's New World
Any situation in which a player, whose king is not currently in check, cannot move without placing that king in check: it results in a draw.
Webster's New World
Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but does not involve any personal loss.
Wiktionary
Antonyms:
verb
stalemated, stalemates, stalemating
To bring into a stalemate.
Webster's New World
(chess) To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Stalemate

Noun

Singular:
stalemate
Plural:
stalemates

Origin of Stalemate

  • Obsolete stale (from Middle English) (probably from Anglo-Norman estale fixed position) (from Old French estal stale1) mate

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • stale + mate "checkmate"

    From Wiktionary

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stalemate