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stag·nate /stæg'neɪt||'stægneɪt/ v [I] to become stagnant; stop moving or developing: a stagnating economy | She didn't want to stagnate in her dull office job until she retired. —nation /stæg'neɪʃən/ n [U]: economic stagnation
stag night n the night before a man's wedding, which he spends with his male friends only, usually having a party or (in Britain) a few drinks in a pub
stag party n a party for men only especially on the night before a man's wedding: He had a hangover after drinking too much at his stag party. ➔ compare HEN NIGHT
stag·y, stagey /'steɪdʒi/ adj derog as if acting or acted on stage; not natural: a very stagy manner —ily adv —iness n [U]
staid /steɪd/ adj having a serious and dull nature; unadventurous: a staid old bachelor | staid attitudes —ly adv —ness n [U]
stain¹ /steɪn/ v 1 [I;T] to mark or discolour in a way that is lasting or difficult to remove: This carpet stains easily, so try not to spill anything on it. | His teeth were stained with nicotine from years of smoking. 2 [T] to change in colour, especially by darkening with a DYE or chemical substance: I'm going to stain the chairs (brown) with wood dye to match the table. | (tech) to stain a specimen for microscopic analysis
stain² n 1 [C] (often in comb.) a stained place or spot: The police found blood stains on the suspect's clothes. | I washed the tablecloth several times but couldn't get the gravy stains out. | (fig.) He was released without a stain on his character. (=with no suggestion at all that he was guilty or bad) 2 [C;U] a chemical for darkening especially wood or for putting on things under a microscope so as to make them easier to see
stained 'glass n [U] glass of different colours used for making pictures and patterns in windows, especially in church windows
stain·less /'steɪnləs/ adj 1 of a kind not easily marked or stained, especially by RUST: a set of stainless steel cutlery 2 lit without a mark of guilt or shame
stair /steər/ n 1 especially litt stairs: We climbed down the steep winding stair. | The stair carpet is held down by stair rods. 2 any of the steps in a set of stairs: She sat on the bottom stair.
stair·case /'steəkeɪs||'steər-/ also stair·way /-weɪ/ n a set of stairs with its supports and side parts for holding on to ➔ see also ESCALATOR
stair rods n [P] BrE infml raining stair rods raining very hard
stairs /steəz||steərz/ n [P] 1 a fixed length of steps built for going from one level to another, especially inside a building: He ran up/down the stairs. | She was standing at the top/bottom/foot of the stairs with her hand on the banister. | The attic is up five flights of stairs. (=is on the fifth floor) ➔ see also DOWNSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS 2 above/below stairs (in former times) in the masters'/servants' part of the house
stair·way /'steəweɪ||'steər-/ n a staircase
stair·well /'steəwel||'steər-/ n the space, going up through all the floors of a building, where the stairs are
stake¹ /steɪk/ n 1 a pointed piece of wood, metal etc, for driving into the ground as a mark, for holding a rope etc 2 (in former times) a post to which a person was tied for being killed, especially by burning: Heretics were often burnt at the stake. | (fig.) It's a fairly important principle, but I wouldn't go to the stake for it. (=take great risks to defend it) 3 [in] a share in something, especially in a business, that gives one an interest in whether it succeeds or fails: We must give young people the feeling that they have a stake in the country's future. | The company is selling off its 15% stake in the Commercial Bank. 4 money risked on the result of something; especially a horse race; BET 5 at stake at risk; dependent on what happens: The company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and hundreds of jobs are at stake. ➔ see also STAKES 6 pull up stakes AmE infml to leave one's job or home: I'm going to pull up stakes and move to Montana.
stake² v [T] 1 [on] a) to risk (money) on the result of a race or competition b) to risk the loss of (something valuable, such as one's life or public position) on a result, especially because one is confident of success: The prime minister is staking his reputation/credibility on a successful outcome to the arms talks. | I've staked all my hopes on you. 2 [(UP)] to fasten or strengthen with STAKES: to stake a young tree 3 [OFF, OUT] to mark or enclose (an area of ground) with STAKES: The muddiest corner of the field has been staked off. 4 stake (out) a/one's claim (to) to make a claim; state that one has a right to have something: He staked a claim to the land where he'd found the gold. | (fig.) With her latest novel she stakes her claim to greatness.
stake sthg.↔ out phr v [T] infml especially AmE (especially of the police) to watch (a place) continuously in secret
—stakeout /'steɪk-aʊt/ n
stake sbdy. to sthg. phr v [T] AmE to provide (someone) with the money needed to pay for (something): My father's promised to stake me to a new car when I'm 18.
stake·hold·er /'steɪkˌhəldər/ n 1 a person chosen to hold the money given by opponents in a race, BET etc, and give it all to the winner 2 law a person, usually a lawyer, who takes charge of property during the time of a quarrel or sale
stakes /steɪks/ n 1 [P] the prize or reward (at risk) in a competition or activity: We're playing for very high stakes. 2 [S+sing./pl. v] a horse race in which the prize money is made up equally by the owners of the horses: The Acorn Stakes is/are being run at 3.00.
stal·ac·tite /'stæləktɑɪt||'stæ'læktɑɪt/ n a sharp downward-pointing part of a CAVE roof, like an ICICLE formed over a long time by mineral-containing water dropping from the roof
stal·ag /'stælæg||'stɑːlɑːg/ n a German camp for prisoners of war during the Second World War
stal·ag·mite /'stæləgmaɪt||stə'lægmaɪt/ n an upward-pointing part of a CAVE floor formed by drops from a stalactite and often joining it to form a solid connection between roof and floor
stale¹ /steɪl/ adj 1 no longer fresh; no longer good to eat, smell etc: stale bread | stale air 2 no longer interesting; not new or exciting: He told the same stale old jokes I've heard fifty times before. | stale news 3 (of a person) without interest, liveliness, or new ideas, especially as a result of doing the same thing for too long: I'm getting stale in this job – I need a change. —ness n [U]
stale² v [I] to become stale
stale·mate¹ /'steɪlmet/ n [C;U] 1 (in CHESS) a position in which one of the players does not have his king in CHECK but has no allowable move, which means that neither player wins 2 a situation in which neither side in a quarrel can get an advantage; DEADLOCK: The discussions with the miners' union ended in (a) stalemate. ➔ compare CHECKMATE
stalemate² v [T] to bring to a stalemate
Sta·lin, Joseph /'stɑːlɪn/ (1879–1953) a Russian politician, born in Georgia, who was leader of the former Soviet Union from the death of LENIN (1924) until his own death. Although Stalin was responsible for developing farming and industry in his country, and for successfully leading it in the war against Germany (1941–45), he is now remembered also for his great cruelty. Thousands of political opponents were killed or sent to prisons in Siberia, and Stalin's secret police made ordinary people live in fear. ➔ see also YALTA
Sta·lin·grad /'stɑːlɪnɡræd/ the old name for the city of Volgograd in the former SOVIET UNION, on the River Volga. The city was almost destroyed in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942–43 and many Russians were killed, when the German army tried unsuccessfully to take control of it.
Sta·lin·is·m /'stɑːlɪnɪzəm/ n [U] the political system and methods used by Joseph STALIN when he was the leader of the former Soviet Union, or any similar political system. The main features of Stalinism were that all plans and policies were made by Stalin himself and a small group of followers, the Communist Party was the only party allowed, and violence and fear were used to prevent any opposition. —Stalinist n: Some of Blair's opponents accused him of Stalinist tendencies.
stalk¹ /stɔːk/ n 1 a long narrow part of a plant supporting one or more leaves, fruits, or flowers; stem: cabbage stalks | broken stalks of wheat ➔ see picture at FLOWER 2 a thin upright object: A crab's eyes are on stalks.
stalk² v 1 [T(to)] to hunt by following closely and quietly and staying hidden: We stalked the wounded tiger to its lair. 2 [I+adv/prep] to walk stiffly, proudly, or with long steps: