halt

[ hawlt ]

/ hɔlt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR halt ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to stop; cease moving, operating, etc., either permanently or temporarily: They halted for lunch and strolled about.

verb (used with object)

to cause to stop temporarily or permanently; bring to a stop: They halted operations during contract negotiations.

noun

a temporary or permanent stop.

interjection

(used as a command to stop and stand motionless, as to marching troops or to a fleeing suspect.)

Nearby words

Origin of halt

1615–25; from the phrase make halt for German halt machen. See hold¹

SYNONYMS FOR halt

3. cessation, suspension, standstill, stoppage.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR halt ON THESAURUS.COM

Synonym study

2. See stop.

halt

[ hawlt ]

/ hɔlt /

verb (used without object)

to falter, as in speech, reasoning, etc.; be hesitant; stumble.

to be in doubt; waver between alternatives; vacillate.

Archaic. to be lame; walk lamely; limp.

adjective

Archaic. lame; limping.

noun

Archaic. lameness; a limp.

(used with a plural verb) lame people, especially severely lamed ones (usually preceded by the): the halt and the blind.

Origin of halt

before 900; Middle English; Old English healt; cognate with Old High German halz, Old Norse haltr, Gothic halts, akin to Latin clādēs damage, loss

Related formshalt·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for halt

Nevetheless, Democratic rule has not only failed to halt the trend, but appears to have accelerated it.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My golden age comes to a halt with the ascendancy of music videos.
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers|Ted Gioia|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With both branches of Congress now under Republican control, we should act to halt those power grabs, too.
Obama’s ISIS War Is Illegal|Sen. Rand Paul|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The formation of neologisms is a natural process that no amount of outrage can halt.
Go Ahead, End With a Preposition: Grammar Rules We All Can Live With|Nick Romeo|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A Clinton-like intervention to halt an escalation will be a tough act to follow.
ICYMI: India-Pakistan Head for Nuke War|Bruce Riedel|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the worst, a halt at some house would serve to break the monotony of the hike.
The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High|Leslie W. Quirk
The king and queen took flight, and did not halt till they had reached Koenigsberg.
The Private Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete|Constant
Andrii was forced to halt frequently to allow his companion to rest, for her fatigue kept increasing.
Taras Bulba and Other Tales|Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
There involuntarily we came to a halt, and looked at each other, for neither of us exactly ventured to express his thoughts.
The Oriental Story Book|Wilhelm Hauff
The troops on our left were to be withdrawn, but suddenly ordered to halt as the rebel cavalry was reported to attack our left.
Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery|Theodore Reichardt

British Dictionary definitions for halt

halt

/ (hɔːlt) /

noun

an interruption or end to activity, movement, or progress

mainly British a minor railway station, without permanent buildings

call a halt to put an end (to something); stop

noun, sentence substitute

a command to halt, esp as an order when marching

verb

to come or bring to a halt

Word Origin for halt

C17: from the phrase to make halt, translation of German halt machen, from halten to hold 1, stop

verb (intr)

(esp of logic or verse) to falter or be defective

to waver or be unsure

archaic to be lame

adjective

archaic

lame
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the halt

noun

archaic lameness

Word Origin for halt

Old English healt lame; related to Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz lame, Greek kólos maimed, Old Slavonic kladivo hammer

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

Word Origin and History for halt

halt

"a stop, a halting," 1590s, from French halte (16c.) or Italian alto, ultimately from German Halt, imperative from Old High German halten "to hold" (see hold (v.)). A German military command borrowed into the Romanic languages 16c. The verb in this sense is from 1650s, from the noun. Related: Halted; halting.

halt

adj.

"lame," in Old English lemphalt "limping," from Proto-Germanic *haltaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian halt, Old Norse haltr, Old High German halz, Gothic halts "lame"), from PIE *keld-, from root *kel- "to strike, cut," with derivatives meaning "something broken or cut off" (cf. Russian koldyka "lame," Greek kolobos "broken, curtailed"). The noun meaning "one who limps; the lame collectively" is from c.1200.

"to walk unsteadily," early 14c., from Old English haltian "to be lame," from the same source as halt (adj.). The meaning "make a halt" is 1650s, from halt (n.). As a command word, attested from 1796. Related: Halted; halting.

Idioms and Phrases with halt

halt

see call a halt; come to a halt; grind to a halt.

halt

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

interjection

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Origin of halt

Synonym study

halt

verb (used without object)

adjective

noun

Origin of halt

Examples from the Web for halt

halt

noun

noun, sentence substitute

verb

Word Origin for halt

verb (intr)

adjective

noun

Word Origin for halt

halt

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