stalestale /steɪl/ ●●○ adjective 
French bread goes stale (=becomes stale) very quickly. stale cake2air that is stale is not fresh or pleasant OPP fresh: the smell of stale smoke3not interesting or exciting anymore: stale jokes Other marriages might go stale, but not theirs.4if you get stale, you have no new ideas, interest, or energy, because you have been doing the same thing for too long: If you stay in the job for more than ten years, you get stale. He was becoming stale and running out of ideas.—staleness noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINstale
Origin:
1200-1300 Probably from Old French estale ‘standing still, settled’, from estal ‘standing place’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- stale advertising images
- stale cookies
- All we got was a cup of tea and a bit of stale cake.
- All we hear around here is stale, old gossip.
- It was cold outside and the smell of stale tobacco clung to their winter coats.
- Nicholson's routine was full of stale old jokes that we'd all heard before.
- Put the biscuits back in the tin or they'll go stale.
- She noticed the stale smell of drink on his breath.
- The air in the office was stale and heavy.
- This bread's stale - have we got another loaf?
- A stale breath came from him, sour, disordered, which was not only because he might have drunk too much.
- My impression is their sites are kind of stale.
- Sometimes scarred tissue feels tough, its resilience like a stale marshmallow.
- The money smelled stale, and humid.
- Then, just as it seemed in danger of becoming stale and repetitive, it threw up De La Soul.
Longman Language Activatornot fresh
especially spoken if food goes off or goes bad , it starts to decay because it has been kept for too long: · Can you smell this milk and see if you think it's gone off?· I don't think we should eat that meat now - it's probably gone bad.
especially British food that is bad is not good to eat, because it has started to decay: · She must have eaten something bad because she was really sick in the night.· Shall I just throw away these bad apples?
bread, cake etc that is stale is hard, dry, and unpleasant to eat: · This bread's stale - have we got another loaf?· All we got was a cup of tea and a bit of stale cake.go stale: · Put the biscuits back in the tin or they'll go stale.
milk, cream, wine etc that is sour tastes bitter and smells unpleasant: · The wine was so sour that I couldn't drink it.go sour: · In these temperatures, milk goes sour very quickly.
fruit, vegetables, meat etc that is rotten is very badly decayed, has gone soft, smells unpleasant, and cannot be eaten: · There were some cheap oranges in the market but most of them were rotten.· the unmistakable smell of rotten eggs
to have a bad smell · The hut was dark and smelly.· Don't leave your smelly sneakers lying around the living room.· The lake was rapidly turning brown and smelly from the factory wastes.
to have an unpleasant smell: · Does my breath smell?· We need to clean the cat's litter box - it's starting to smell.smell bad/awful/terrible/disgusting: · Not only does he smell bad - he's mean and ugly too.· Many people like the taste of jackfruit, but it smells terrible.
to have a strong and unpleasant smell: · Her room is filthy, and it stinks.· How can you eat that cheese? It stinks.stink of: · His clothes stank of cigarette smoke.stink to high heaven: · You boys stink to high heaven - go inside and take a shower.
to have a very strong smell of something unpleasant: · Get that dog out of here - he reeks.reek of: · He came running into the house, reeking of sweat.· The tiny office reeked of onions and cigarette smoke.· Where have you been - you reek of alcohol?
having a very strong unpleasant smell: · The yards were full of stinking garbage cans, and untidy lines of washing.· He pointed to the stinking hole that we were to use as a toilet.
British /stink the place up American informal to make a whole room smell bad: · You're not bringing that cat in here - it'll stink the place out.· She made fish for dinner and stunk the place up.
things such as books, clothes, or rooms that are musty have a smell that is old and not fresh, especially because they have not been used or been in fresh air for a long time: · The hotel room was dark and musty.· The library was full of musty old books which no one wanted to read.
having a smell that is not fresh, especially because you can still smell something such as old cigarette smoke or old cooking smells: · She noticed the stale smell of drink on his breath.· The air in the office was stale and heavy.· It was cold outside and the smell of stale tobacco clung to their winter coats.
having a sharp, unpleasant smell, especially one that hurts your nose: · The chemical has an acrid smell.· When I opened the door, acrid white smoke came billowing out.· The air was stale and acrid, and a cluster of black flies hovered over the bed.
words, remarks, ideas etc that have been used too much used too much and therefore no longer interesting or effective: · 'Creative' is an over-used word nowadays and is difficult to define.· His lecture turned out to be full of unoriginal material and over-used examples.
no longer interesting or exciting because of having been used too much: · Nicholson's routine was full of stale old jokes that we'd all heard before.· stale advertising images
a trite remark, idea etc has been used so often, that is seems boring or not sincere: · I know it might sound like a trite remark, but mothers usually know best.
if an excuse, an argument, someone's behaviour etc is wearing thin , it has been used so often that it no longer has any effect and is annoying: · Her rebellious teenager act is wearing thin. After all, she's nearly twenty-five.be wearing a bit/a little thin: · That joke is wearing a bit thin now, Stuart.
speech, writing or an idea that is clichéd is boring and without real meaning, because it is not original at all: · the clichéd openings of jokes like, "Have you heard the one about...?"· We work well together and we are really good friends. I know it sounds clichéd but it's the truth.
a hackneyed phrase, statement etc is boring and does not have much meaning because it has been used so often before: · Politicians tend to repeat the same hackneyed expressions over and over again.· All those slogans we used to chant sound so hackneyed now.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY French bread goes stale (=becomes stale) very quickly. Other marriages might go stale, but not theirs. If you stay in the job for more than ten years, you get stale.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1bread or cake that is stale is no longer fresh or good to eat OPP fresh: French bread goes stale (=becomes stale) very quickly. Other marriages might go stale, but not theirs. If you stay in the job for more than ten years, you get stale. (=not fresh and often full of smoke)· The room was full of stale air and tobacco smoke.
(=old beer which has an unpleasant smell)· The hotel smelt of cigarette smoke and stale beer.
(=hard and no longer fresh)· This bread’s stale – shall I throw it away?
(=old and not fresh)· The clothes in the wardrobe had a damp musty smell.
· The room smelt of stale sweat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Seven minutes left, plus a while longer breathing staler and staler air.· He lurched forward and groped his way up the staircase, gasping and retching in the stale air.· As the stale air travels slowly through the flues, so carbon dioxide flows out and oxygen flows in.· I sit watching Victor's television through stale air thick with tobacco smoke.· Walking clears the mind and removes stale air from the lungs.· The office, which displayed portraits of both the last president and the new one, was filled with stale air.· Very much like now, come to think of it: bored and fidgeting, breathing stale air while time stands still.
· The gaoler returned hours later with a cup of brackish water, a bowl of badly-cooked meat and hard, stale bread.· She stopped cooking, and for days the boy and his sisters ate stale bread and tamarind jam by the spoonful.· Jamie was moping around his flat, existing on cups of tea and stale bread toast.· Say what you like, but this stale bread they served here was no substitute.· Non-washable papers just need brushing down or rubbing with stale bread or a soft rubber.
· It had the slightly stale smell of such untended places.· After the crisp freshness of the shop, the flat had a musty stale smell.· The scent of rose water hung in the air, covering the stale smell of pipe tobacco and strong drink.· The stale smell of socks and the constant din contributed to the normal post-gymnastic atmosphere.· Rain recognized the stale smell, and her glance went to the half-open shutters.
French bread goes stale (=becomes stale) very quickly. stale cake2air that is stale is not fresh or pleasant OPP fresh: the smell of stale smoke3not interesting or exciting anymore: stale jokes Other marriages might go stale, but not theirs.4if you get stale, you have no new ideas, interest, or energy, because you have been doing the same thing for too long: If you stay in the job for more than ten years, you get stale. He was becoming stale and running out of ideas.—staleness noun [uncountable]