stall
[verb]
Synonyms: play for time, hedge, temporize

---

Contrasted words: spur
Related Idioms: pull the checkstring
Related Words: brake, slow (down), hold off, put off, stand off, suspend, shut down

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. stall¹ S3 /stɔːl $ stɒːl/ noun
[Sense 1-2, 4-6: Language: Old English; Origin: steall]
[Sense 3: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: ⇒ stall²]

1. [countable] a table or a small shop with an open front, especially outdoors, where goods are sold:
a market stall

2. [countable] an enclosed area in a building for an animal such as a horse or cow

3. [countable usually singular] if a plane goes into a stall, its engine stops working

4. [countable usually plural] a seat in a row of fixed seats for priests and singers in some larger churches:
choir stalls

5. bathroom/toilet/shower stall a small enclosed private area for washing or using the toilet

6. the stalls British English the seats on the main level of a theatre or cinema:
a good seat in the front row of the stalls

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. stall² verb
[Sense 1,4: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: stall 'to put in a stall' (14-20 centuries), from ⇒ stall¹]
[Sense 2-3: Date: 1800-1900; Origin: stale 'something that leads people from the correct way' (15-19 centuries), from Anglo-French estale 'something set up']

1. [intransitive and transitive] if an engine or vehicle stalls, or if you stall it, it stops because there is not enough power or speed to keep it going:
The car kept stalling.
An inexperienced pilot may easily stall a plane.

2. [intransitive] informal to deliberately delay because you are not ready to do something, answer questions etc:
Quit stalling and answer my question!
He was just stalling for time.

3. [transitive] informal to make someone wait or stop something from happening until you are ready:
Maybe we can stall the sale until the prices go up.
We’ve got to stall him somehow.

4. [intransitive] to stop making progress or developing:
While his career has stalled, hers has taken off.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

stall
noun
ADJ. market | book, cake, fish, flower, etc.
VERB + STALL have He has a flower stall in Portobello Road market.
put up, set out/up | pack up | man, run Who's going to man the stall at lunchtime?
STALL + VERB sell sth a stall selling second-hand books
STALL + NOUN holder (also stallholder), keeper
PREP. at a/the ~ I bought this trout at the market fish stall.
behind the ~ the man behind the stall

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stall
verb
ADV. effectively Discussions were effectively stalled by the union's refusal to participate.
PHRASES stall for time He asked them all kinds of pointless questions, stalling for time.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲