Stale/steɪl/ Definition 1 of 4Pro Tip 1/3Food Quality Stale often refers to bread or baked goods that are hard and dry from age. Stale cookies don't have that satisfying crunch anymore. Pro Tip 2/3Aged Beverages 'Stale' for drinks implies a loss of carbonation or flavor over time. The soda tasted flat and stale the day after opening. Pro Tip 3/3Figurative Use In a broader sense, things like ideas can figuratively become 'stale'. The author's new book offered stale ideas recycled from his previous works.