Plain English Meaning

Stalling is what happens when the wing is tilted too steeply into the oncoming air. The air can no longer flow smoothly over the top of the wing, so the wing stops producing enough lift to hold the airplane up.

Full Definition

In aerodynamics, stalling is the condition in which a wing's angle of attack exceeds the critical angle, causing the smooth airflow over the upper surface to separate and a sudden loss of lift to occur. A stall is a function of angle of attack, not airspeed, and can happen at any airspeed, any altitude, and any power setting.

Context Anchor

Seen in aerodynamics and discussions, especially when describing how and behave when their angle to the airflow becomes too .