Definition of "stall"

stall¹

/stɔːl/

noun
plural stalls
1. (countable) A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.
2. A stable; a place for cattle.
  Quotations
  His Fellow ſought what Lodging he could find:At laſt he found a Stall where oxen ſtood,And that he rather choſe than lie abroad.
  1700, [John] Dryden, “The Cock and the Fox: Or, The Tale of the Nun’s Priest, from Chaucer”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], page 231
3. A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale.
  Quotations
  Now he goes on, and ſings of fairs and ſhows,For ſtill new fairs before his eyes aroſe.How pedlars' ſtalls with glitt'ring toys are laid,The various fairings of the country maid.
  1714, J[ohn] Gay, “Saturday; or, The Flights”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], page 57, lines 71–74
4. (countable) A small open-fronted shop, for example in a market, food court, etc.
  Quotations
  He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days [...]
  1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […]
  Despite the swift backpedalling of the university, the original notice given to stall operators is suggestive of the potential existence of 'a growing English-speaking elite' that is 'happy to maintain the importance of the English language'.
  2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, page 3
5. A very small room used for a shower or a toilet.
  Quotations
  Rabbit eases from the king-size bed, goes into their bathroom with its rose-colored one-piece Fiberglas tub and shower stall, and urinates into the toilet of a matching rose porcelain.
  1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest
6. (countable) A seat in a theatre close to and (about) level with the stage; traditionally, a seat with arms, or otherwise partly enclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
7. (Germanic paganism) An Heathen altar, typically an indoor one, as contrasted with a more substantial outdoor harrow.
  Quotations
  In a private rite, a ring is drawn on the ground around a harrow or before an indoor stall.
  1989, Edred Thorsson, A Book of Troth, Llewellyn Publications, page 156
  Some Asatruar kindreds call their indoor altars stalls and their outdoor altars harrows.
  2006, Selene Silverwind, “Asatruar Tools and Practices”, in Everything you need to know about Paganism‎, David & Charles, page 117
  Stalli (STAL-i) - Altar.
  2006, Mark Puryear, The Nature of Asatru: An Overview of the Ideals and Philosophy of the Indigenous Religion of Northern Europe‎, iUniverse, page 237
8. A seat in a church, especially one next to the chancel or choir, reserved for church officials and dignitaries.
9. A church office that entitles the incumbent to the use of a church stall.
  Quotations
  When he had been some months installed there as a priest-in-charge, he received a prebendal stall, thanks to the same patrons, in the collegiate church of Sainte-Croix.
  1910 , Alexandre Dumas, père, translator not mentioned, Celebrated Crimes: Urbain Grandier, P. F. Collier edition
10. A sheath to protect the finger.
11. (mining) The space left by excavation between pillars.
12. (Canada) A parking stall; a space for a vehicle in a parking lot or parkade.
verb
third-person singular simple present stalls, present participle stalling, simple past and past participle stalled
1. (transitive) To put (an animal, etc.) in a stall.
  Quotations
  But Niſus hit the Turns with happier haſte,And thoughtleſs of his Friend, the Foreſt paſs'd:And Alban Plains, from Alba's Name ſo call'd,Where King Latinus then his Oxen ſtall'd.
  1697, Virgil, “The Ninth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], page 479, lines 523–526
2. To fatten.
3. (obsolete) To live in, or as if in, a stall; to dwell.
  Quotations
  I must perforceHaue ſhewne to thee ſuch a declining day,Or looke on thine: we could not ſtall togetherIn the whole world.
  c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene i], page 364, column 2
4. To place in an office with the customary formalities; to install.
  Quotations
  Deck'd in thy rights , as thou art stall'd in mine
  c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene iii]
5. To forestall; to anticipate.
  Quotations
  This is not to be staled by my report,This only must be told: […]
  1636 (first performance; published 1655), Philip Massinger, “The Bashful Lover”, in W[illiam] Gifford, editor, The Plays of Philip Massinger, […], volume IV, London: […] G[eorge] and W[illiam] Nicol; […] by W[illiam] Bulmer and Co. […], published 1805, Act IV, scene iii, page 427
6. To keep close; to keep secret.
  Quotations
  You haue diſcharg'd this honeſtlie, keepe it to your ſelfe, […] praie you leaue mee, ſtall this in your boſome, and I thanke you for your honeſt care: I will ſpeake with you further anon.
  c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene iii], page 233, column 2

stall²

/stɔːl/

noun
plural stalls
1. An action that is intended to cause, or actually causes, delay.
2. (aeronautics) Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed.
  Quotations
  The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the asymmetric stall and the ensuing roll of the aircraft because of the uncommanded retraction of the left wing outboard leading edge slats and the loss of stall warning and slat disagreement indication systems resulting from maintenance-induced damage leading to the separation of the No. 1 engine and pylon assembly at a critical point during takeoff. The separation resulted from damage by improper maintenance procedures which led to failure of the pylon structure.
  1979 December 21, National Transportation Safety Board, “3.2 Probable Cause”, in Aircraft Accident Report: American Airlines, Inc., DC-10-10, N110AA, Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, May 25, 1979‎, archived from the original on 17 August 2022, page 69
verb
third-person singular simple present stalls, present participle stalling, simple past and past participle stalled
1. (transitive) To employ delaying tactics against.
2. (intransitive) To employ delaying tactics; to stall for time.
  Quotations
  See the look on my faceFrom staying too long in one placeBut every time I try to leaveI find I keep on stalling
  2007, KT Tunstall (lyrics and music), “Saving My Face”, in Drastic Fantastic‎
3. (intransitive) To come to a standstill.
  Quotations
  [...] the 4-4-0 unhappily stalled after a stop on Reading Old Bank with its eight-coach load and the Reading Up Line pilot, a "Hall", had to bank the train into Reading General.
  1960 July, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 443
  But both projects have stalled, with no indication of how they would be funded.
  2023 September 20, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Mayor backs southern rail link for Heathrow Airport”, in RAIL, number 992, page 24
4. (transitive) To cause to stop making progress; to hinder; to slow down; to delay or forestall.
5. (intransitive, aviation) To exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
  Quotations
  The thrust levers were advanced, the first officer selected the go-around mode for the flight director, and he started to increase the pitch of the aircraft to the command bar indications, 10 degrees nose up. About one second after the first officer acknowledged the go-around, the stick shaker (stall warning) activated. As the aircraft reached 10 degrees nose up, about one and one-half seconds after the stick shaker activated, the captain called flaps and selected them to the go-around setting, the warbler tone associated with the stall protection system (SPS) sounded, and the aircraft stalled aerodynamically. The aircraft rolled right to approximately 55 degrees of bank, and the right wing tip contacted the runway about 2700 feet from the threshold and 45 feet left of the centre line, the right wing tip bending upwards about four feet from the tip.
  1999 April 15, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, “1.1 History of the Flight”, in Aviation Investigation Report A97H0011, Loss of control on go-around (Rejected Landing), Air Canada Canadair CL-600-2B19 C-FSKI, Fredericton Airport, New Brunswick, 16 December 1997‎, archived from the original on 2 September 2022, pages 1–2
6. (transitive, aviation) To cause to exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
7. To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix.
  Quotations
  His horses had been stalled in the snow.
  1884, Edward Everett Hale, The Fortunes of Rachel
8. (intransitive, of an engine) To stop suddenly.
9. (transitive, automotive) To cause the engine of a manual-transmission car or truck to stop by going too slowly for the selected gear.
10. (obsolete) To be stuck, as in mire or snow; to stick fast.
11. (obsolete) To be tired of eating, as cattle.

Definition of "stall"

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stall²