Stalling

/ˈstɔːlɪŋ/

Meaning & Definition

verb

The act of delaying or procrastinating.

He tried stalling the meeting by asking irrelevant questions.

The act of causing a vehicle to stop running or losing power, especially in a sudden manner.

Her car was stalling on the highway, creating a dangerous situation.

In aviation, the act of an aircraft losing lift due to a high angle of attack.

The pilot recognized the stalling situation and regained control of the plane quickly.

Derived from 'stall', which has roots in the Old English 'stallian', meaning to stop or come to standstill.

stall for time

To delay in order to gain more time.

stall out

To come to a stop or cease progress.

stall

To come to a halt or stop functioning.

delay

To make someone or something late or slow.

procrastination

The act of delaying or postponing something.

To avoid doing something by using excuses.

He's just stalling because he doesn't want to go to the meeting.

To bide time until you're ready.

She was stalling until she figured out what to say.