stale

Meaning

1. Something stale; a loaf of bread or the like that is no longer fresh.
2. (of alcohol) To make stale; to age in order to clear and strengthen (a drink, especially beer).
3. To make stale; to cause to go out of fashion or currency; to diminish the novelty or interest of, particularly by excessive exposure or consumption.
4. To become stale; to grow odious from excessive exposure or consumption.
5. (alcohol) To become stale; to grow unpleasant from age.
6. (alcohol) Clear, free of dregs and lees; old and strong.
7. No longer fresh, in reference to food, urine, straw, wounds, etc.
8. No longer fresh, new, or interesting, in reference to ideas and immaterial things; cliche, hackneyed, dated.
9. No longer nubile or suitable for marriage, in reference to people; past one's prime.
10. Fallow, in reference to land.
11. Unreasonably long in coming, in reference to claims and actions.
12. A long, thin handle (of rakes, axes, etc.)
13. The posts and rungs composing a ladder.
14. The stem of a plant.
15. The shaft of an arrow, spear, etc.
16. To make a ladder by joining rungs ("stales") between the posts.
17. A fixed position, particularly a soldier's in a battle-line.
18. A stalemate; a stalemated game.
19. An ambush.
20. A band of armed men or hunters.
21. The main force of an army.
22. To stalemate.
23. To be stalemated.
24. At a standstill; stalemated.
25. (livestock) Urine, especially used of horses and cattle.
26. (livestock) To urinate, especially used of horses and cattle.
27. A live bird to lure birds of prey or others of its kind into a trap.
28. Any lure, particularly in reference to people used as live bait.
29. An accomplice of a thief or criminal acting as bait.
30. A partner whose beloved abandons or torments him in favor of another.
31. A patsy, a pawn, someone used under some false pretext to forward another's (usu. sinister) designs; a stalking horse.
32. A prostitute of the lowest sort; any wanton woman.
33. To serve as a decoy, to lure.

Etymology / origin

No prose etymology has been added yet.

Related words

Descendant words

No descendant words have been linked yet.

Sources

1. DictionaryAPI.dev English dictionary data