What does stalling mean?
Stalling means delaying, interrupting, or preventing progress rather than moving forward decisively. The word is especially common in discussions of negotiations, business decisions, projects, transportation, and engines. In everyday and political usage, it often implies that someone is avoiding action or a decision, as in 'the negotiations stalled' or 'they were stalling for time'. It can also describe a vehicle or engine temporarily ceasing to function, or a person or process becoming unable to continue. Stalling carries a slightly negative connotation because it suggests lost momentum, inefficiency, or intentional obstruction, although the word can also describe an innocent pause caused by circumstances. Its usefulness lies in describing a recognizable pattern in which activity does not progress as expected.
To delay or prevent progress, action, or movement.
"Bad weather stalled the train for several hours."
Often implies that progress has stopped, either because of circumstances or because someone is avoiding action.
The act of delaying or preventing progress.
"The union blamed management for the stalling of negotiations."
This use is especially common in formal, business, and political contexts.
The plural 'stallings' is uncommon; the noun is normally used in the singular or in phrases such as 'the stalling of negotiations'.
"The report documented repeated stallings in the approval process."
When progress stalls, the problem may not be a lack of ideas but a reluctance to move.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stalling come from?
The word 'stall' is inherited from Old English, where it referred originally to a place where animals were kept and later to a small shop or market booth. Its modern meaning of delaying or stopping progress developed from the idea of bringing something to a standstill. The related forms 'install' and 'installation' entered English through Latin, whose underlying sense referred to setting or placing something firmly, while 'stable' also reflects a Germanic and Latin word associated with standing or being fixed. The English verb therefore preserves the older idea of something coming to a stop.
Related word forms
How stalling is actually used
The expression 'stalling for time' implies that someone is deliberately postponing action or a decision. In business and political contexts, 'stalling' often suggests an intentional obstruction rather than an innocent delay. The noun use 'the stalling of negotiations' is common in formal and journalistic writing.
Easily confused with stalling
As a verb, 'stalling' usually describes delaying or obstructing progress; 'stall' can additionally refer to a market stall, a stable for an animal, or an aircraft engine that has stopped working.
'Stalling' is the present participle of 'stall,' whereas 'stalling' can also be used as a noun for the act of deliberately delaying progress.