stalemate

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

stale·mate [stalemate stalemates stalemated stalemating] BrE [ˈsteɪlmeɪt] NAmE [ˈsteɪlmeɪt] noun
1. uncountable, countable, usually singular a disagreement or a situation in a competition in which neither side is able to win or make any progress
Syn: ↑impasse
•The talks ended in (a) stalemate.
•proposals aimed at breaking (= ending) the political stalemate
•The strike has once again reached stalemate.
2. uncountable, singular (in ↑chess)a situation in which a player cannot successfully move any of their pieces and the game ends without a winner
•The match ended in (a) stalemate
compare ↑checkmate

Word Origin:
mid 18th cent.: from obsolete stale (from Anglo-Norman French estale ‘position’, from estaler ‘be placed’) + ↑mate (in the chess sense).

Example Bank:
•Efforts to break the stalemate in the peace talks continue.
•The stalemate in the trade talks continues.
•The talks reached (a) stalemate.
•a stalemate between management and unions
•a stalemate over economic issues

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  deadlock, dead end, impasse, standstill