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stale
01
(of food, particularly cake and bread) not fresh anymore, due to exposure to air or prolonged storage
Examples
The bread became stale after sitting out on the counter for several days.
She found the crackers in the pantry had gone stale, lacking their usual crispness.
Examples
The party 's playlist felt stale, with the same songs played repeatedly throughout the night.
Their conversation topics became stale, lacking the excitement they once had.
2.1
no longer valid or useful because it has not been acted on in time
Examples
The company rejected the stale application because it was submitted after the deadline.
The court threw out the stale evidence, as it had n’t been presented in a timely manner.
Examples
The room smelled of stale air after being closed for hours.
The water in the bottle tasted stale after sitting in the sun all day.
to stale
01
to urinate, especially used when referring to an animal, particularly a horse
Examples
The horse staled by the roadside during the ride.
After being let out, the cattle staled in the pasture.
02
to make something no longer fresh, often due to neglect or lack of use
Transitive
Examples
The warm weather staled the bread, making it lose its freshness.
Leaving the milk out for too long staled it, making it undrinkable.
03
to lose freshness and become dry over time
Intransitive
Examples
The bread staled overnight after being left uncovered.
The cake staled by the next morning, losing its freshness.
Lexical Tree
staleness
stale
