stall for time

present singular third person stalls for time · participle present stalling for time · participle past stalled for time · past stalled for time

1. idiomaticTo intentionally cause a delay; to stop; to wait.

   1 more example

   So in February, it was decided to lay up a good portion of the fleet, whose operational costs were astronomical, whilst they attempted to conduct peace negotiations, whilst simultaneously secretly trying to swing France over to the British side. But the Dutch, de Witt especially, were quite aware that Charles II was largely stalling for time, although they didn't quite know why, and determined to end the war, on their terms, in a single strike.

   2019 April 24, Drachinifel, 7:23 from the start, in The Raid on the Medway - Grand Theft Warship, archived from the original on 26 Dec 2020

   Synonyms: temporize