Word
stall
US/ˈstɔɫ/
UK/stˈɔːl/
Definitions
01market stand
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. a small table or open-fronted shop, often in a market or street.
n. a temporary or permanent stand, booth, or table used for the display and sale of goods in a marketplace.
日本語:屋台、売店※
“We bought some fresh bread and local honey from a market stall.”
“The artisan cheese stall attracted a significant crowd, forcing the market organisers to widen the pedestrian aisle.”
02parking or animal space
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a marked space for a car in a car park, or a small room for an animal in a stable.
n. an individual compartment or designated area for a single vehicle or animal.
“He carefully backed his car into the narrow parking stall.”
“The stable was designed with twelve individual stalls, each equipped with an automatic watering system for the horses.”
Synonyms
03theatre seating
B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun Theater British English
n. the seats on the ground floor of a theatre, close to the stage.
n. the ground-floor seating area in a theatre or auditorium, typically located between the stage and the orchestra pit.
“We had a great view of the actors because our seats were in the stalls.”
“The acoustics in the front stalls are generally superior to those in the upper circles, though the ticket prices reflect this advantage.”
Usage
Usually used in the plural: 'the stalls'.
Synonyms
04to delay or wait
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to try to stop something from happening or to wait longer on purpose.
v. to intentionally delay an action or decision to gain more time.
“I tried to stall for time while my friend finished the surprise cake.”
“The legal team attempted to stall the proceedings by filing a series of minor procedural motions.”
Synonyms
05engine failure
B1 · Intermediate
v. when an engine or a car suddenly stops working.
v. to cause an internal combustion engine to stop abruptly, often due to improper clutch control or low speed.
“The student driver stalled the car three times at the traffic lights.”
“If you release the clutch too quickly without enough throttle, the engine will likely stall.”
Antonyms
06to stop progress
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to stop making progress or to come to a standstill.
v. to reach a point where no further progress is made; to come to a halt.
“Negotiations between the two companies stalled over the price of the deal.”
“The peace talks stalled after both parties refused to compromise on the border dispute.”
07loss of lift
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Science Technical
n. when a plane loses the air power it needs to stay up and starts to fall.
n. a condition in aerodynamics where the angle of attack increases beyond a critical point, causing a sudden decrease in lift.
“The pilot managed to recover from the stall and leveled the plane.”
“The aircraft entered a deep stall after the airspeed dropped below the safety threshold during the steep climb.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “stall” in context.
Verb
01. browse the stalls
“We spent the afternoon browsing the stalls at the Christmas market.”
verb + noun
02. set up a stall
“The local farmers set up a stall in the town square every Saturday morning.”
verb + noun
Adjective
03. market stall
“She sells handmade jewelry from a small market stall.”
adj + noun
04. parking stall
“The driver carefully backed the van into the narrow parking stall.”
adj + noun
Noun
05. shower stall
“The hotel room was clean, but the shower stall was a bit cramped.”
noun + noun
06. stall holder
“The stall holder offered us a discount if we bought two jars of honey.”
noun + noun
Preposition
07. at a stall
“I bought this vintage leather jacket at a stall in Camden Market.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“A fruit and vegetable stall at a street market in Tehran on Saturday.” “The effort stalled until early 1924, when the Vare-backed Kendrick took office as Philadelphia’s mayor.” Etymology
From Middle English stall, stalle, from Old English steall (“standing place, position”), from Proto-Germanic stallaz, from Proto-Indo-European stel- (“to place, put, post, stand”). Cognate with French étal, Italian stallo, German Stall, Swedish stall.
From Middle English stallen (“to abide, dwell, place in a location, stop, come to a standstill”), partly from Old French estaler, ultimately from the same origin as Etymology 1 (see above); and partly from Middle English stalle (“fixed position, stall”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Related words
Idioms
02. stall for time
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/stall
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0