Stalemate

Origin

stale + mate "checkmate"

Noun

1. (chess) The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
2. Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but does not involve any personal loss.

Related terms

• checkmate
• mate
• stale

Full definition of stalemate

Verb

1. (chess, transitive) To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved.
• 29 February 2012, Aidan Foster-Carter, BBC News North Korea: The denuclearisation dance resumeshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17213948The North Korean nuclear issue, stalemated for the past three years, is now back in play again - not before time.

Anagrams

• metalates