Synonyms

full stop

American

noun

period.

full stop British

noun

Also called (esp US and Canadian): period. the punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence that is not a question or exclamation, after abbreviations, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of full stop

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last year’s full stop on hiring is loosening up a bit.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

I've replied to many an email - my punctuation may be extra but a full stop feels blunt.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

Waymo says its cars are designed to come to a full stop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

“Within moments, the robot came to a full stop in response to sensing a pedestrian in close proximity, which is considered its fail-safe state.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

They are now accustomed to following a full stop with a lower-case letter and no space.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023