Library / English Dictionary

STALEMATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("stalemate" is a kind of...):

draw; standoff; tie (the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided)

Derivation:

stalemate (subject to a stalemate)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

Example:

reached an impasse on the negotiations

Synonyms:

dead end; deadlock; impasse; stalemate; standstill

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("stalemate" is a kind of...):

situation (a complex or critical or unusual difficulty)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Subject to a stalemate

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "stalemate" is one way to...):

go; move (have a turn; make one's move in a game)

Domain category:

chess; chess game (a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

stalemate (drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check)

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