Stall vs. Tall: What's the Difference?
Edited by Sumera Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || Updated on October 6, 2023
"Stall" refers to a stand or booth or to delay, while "Tall" describes something of greater height. Both are unrelated in meaning.
Key Differences
1. "Stall" and "Tall" are two distinct words with very different meanings. While "Stall" can refer to a booth or stand, often in a market setting, or the act of delaying, "Tall" is an adjective used to describe something with a greater than average height or extent.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
2. Considering "Stall," it can depict a tangible structure, such as where vendors sell their goods, or it can represent an intangible action, such as stalling for time. On the other hand, "Tall" is primarily an adjective, providing a descriptor for the height or stature of entities, whether they're living beings or inanimate objects.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
3. Even in pronunciation, "Stall" and "Tall" differ, given the initial "St-" sound of the former. Yet, both have the common "all" sound at the end. Nevertheless, beyond this phonetic similarity, their meanings diverge significantly.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
4. In various contexts, "Stall" can suggest a deliberate pause or delay, or even a mechanical failure. In contrast, "Tall" remains consistent in its portrayal of height, whether one is talking about a tall person, a tall tale (meaning an exaggerated story), or a tall building.
Sara Rehman
Sep 24, 2023
5. In sum, while "Stall" navigates between tangible stands and intangible delays, "Tall" is a straightforward descriptor of height or extent.
Harlon Moss
Sep 24, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Usage in Context
Can describe a structure or an action
Primarily describes height or extent
Harlon Moss
Sep 24, 2023
Secondary Meanings
Mechanical failure; a tactic to waste time
An exaggerated story (e.g., a tall tale)
Sara Rehman
Sep 24, 2023
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Stall and Tall Definitions
Stall
A stand, booth, or compartment for the sale of goods in a market.
She sells handmade jewelry at her stall in the flea market.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Tall
Exaggerated or unbelievable (as in a story or claim).
It sounds like a tall tale, but it's true.
Harlon Moss
Sep 24, 2023
Stall
A situation in which an engine or vehicle stops because it lacks power.
The car went into a stall after running out of gas.
Sara Rehman
Sep 24, 2023
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Tall
Ambitious or difficult to believe.
That's a tall order to fulfill in such a short time.
Janet White
Sep 24, 2023
Tall
Having considerable height, especially in relation to width; lofty
Tall trees.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
(Informal) Fanciful or exaggerated; boastful
Tall tales of heroic exploits.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A condition in which an aircraft or airfoil experiences an interruption of airflow resulting in loss of lift and a tendency to drop.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
(of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
Being tall is an advantage in basketball.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
(of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
(obsolete) Seemly; suitable; fitting, becoming, comely; attractive, handsome.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To stop running as a result of mechanical failure
The car stalled on the freeway.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
A tall serving of a drink, especially one from Starbucks, which contains 12 ounces.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
High in stature; having a considerable, or an unusual, extension upward; long and comparatively slender; having the diameter or lateral extent small in proportion to the height; as, a tall person, tree, or mast.
Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
Brave; bold; courageous.
As tall a trenchermanAs e'er demolished a pye fortification.
His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three thousand tall men.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(countable) A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
Great in vertical dimension; high in stature;
Tall people
Tall buildings
Tall trees
Tall ships
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
Lofty in style;
He engages in so much tall talk, one never really realizes what he is saying
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(countable) A small open-fronted shop, for example in a market, food court, etc.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Tall
Having a greater than average height.
She was tall and slender, towering over her peers.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Stall
(countable) A seat in a theatre close to and (about) level with the stage; traditionally, a seat with arms, or otherwise partly enclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(Germanic paganism) An Heathen altar, typically an indoor one, as contrasted with a more substantial outdoor harrow.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A seat in a church, especially one next to the chancel or choir, reserved for church officials and dignitaries.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A church office that entitles the incumbent to the use of a church stall.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(Canadian) A parking stall; a space for a vehicle in a parking lot or parkade.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
An action that is intended to cause, or actually causes, delay.
His encounters with security, reception, the secretary, and the assistant were all stalls until the general manager's attorney arrived.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(aeronautics) Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(transitive) To employ delaying tactics against.
He stalled the creditors as long as he could.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(intransitive) To employ delaying tactics; to stall for time.
Soon it became clear that she was stalling to give him time to get away.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
(transitive) To cause to stop making progress; to hinder; to slow down; to delay or forestall.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To cause to exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
The pilot stalled the plane by pulling the nose up too high at a slow airspeed.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix.
To stall a cart
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To cause the engine of a manual-transmission car or truck to stop by going too slowly for the selected gear.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A stand; a station; a fixed spot; hence, the stand or place where a horse or an ox is kept and fed; the division of a stable, or the compartment, for one horse, ox, or other animal.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A stable; a place for cattle.
At last he found a stall where oxen stood.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A small apartment or shed in which merchandise is exposed for sale; as, a butcher's stall; a bookstall.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale.
How peddlers' stalls with glittering toys are laid.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A seat in the choir of a church, for one of the officiating clergy. It is inclosed, either wholly or partially, at the back and sides. The stalls are frequently very rich, with canopies and elaborate carving.
The dignified clergy, out of humility, have called their thrones by the names of stalls.
Loud the monks sang in their stalls.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
In the theater, a seat with arms or otherwise partly inclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
The space left by excavation between pillars. See Post and stall, under Post.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A covering or sheath, as of leather, horn, of iron, for a finger or thumb; a cot; as, a thumb stall; a finger stall.
Cries the stall reader, "Bless us! what a word onA titlepage is this!"
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To put into a stall or stable; to keep in a stall or stalls; as, to stall an ox.
Where King Latinus then his oxen stalled.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix; as, to stall a cart.
His horses had been stalled in the snow.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
To live in, or as in, a stall; to dwell.
We could not stall togetherIn the whole world.
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
A malfunction in the flight of an aircraft in which there is a sudden loss of lift that results in a downward plunge;
The plane went into a stall and I couldn't control it
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
Postpone doing what one should be doing;
He did not want to write the letter and procrastinated for days
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
Deliberately delay an event or action;
She doesn't want to write the report, so she is stalling
Sawaira Riaz
Apr 05, 2023
Stall
An action meant to delay something.
He tried to stall the meeting by asking endless questions.
Sara Rehman
Sep 24, 2023
Stall
To stop running, typically because of an obstacle.
The project stalled due to lack of funding.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
FAQs
Can "Stall" refer to a place in a bathroom?
Yes, a stall can refer to a partitioned section in a bathroom.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Stall" mean a vehicle's engine stopping?
Yes, when a vehicle's engine stops suddenly, it's said to "stall."
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Stall" mean to delay on purpose?
Yes, to "stall" can mean to delay or dawdle intentionally.
Sara Rehman
Sep 24, 2023
Is a market booth a "Stall"?
Yes, a booth in a market where goods are sold is often called a stall.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Is "Tall" subjective?
Yes, what is considered "tall" can vary based on cultural and individual perceptions.
Janet White
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Tall" refer to an exaggerated story?
Yes, an exaggerated or unlikely story is sometimes called a "tall tale."
Janet White
Sep 24, 2023
Does "Tall" only describe people?
No, "Tall" can describe anything with height, like buildings, trees, etc.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 24, 2023
If someone is taller than average, are they "Tall"?
Yes, someone with a height greater than average is described as "tall."
Aimie Carlson
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Stall" refer to a tactic in sports?
Yes, in sports, players might "stall" to waste time.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Tall" refer to depth?
No, "Tall" primarily pertains to height, not depth.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 24, 2023
Is a "Tall" glass larger in volume?
Not necessarily. "Tall" refers to height; volume would also depend on width.
Harlon Moss
Sep 24, 2023
Is a "Stall" always a physical structure?
No, "stall" can also refer to a delay or a situation where progress stops.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 24, 2023
Can "Stall" be used in aviation terms?
Yes, in aviation, a "stall" refers to a sudden reduction in the lift of an aircraft.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 24, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira RiazSawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Sumera SaeedSumera is an experienced content writer and editor with a niche in comparative analysis. At Diffeence Wiki, she crafts clear and unbiased comparisons to guide readers in making informed decisions. With a dedication to thorough research and quality, Sumera's work stands out in the digital realm. Off the clock, she enjoys reading and exploring diverse cultures.
