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moratorium

[ mawr-uh-tawr-ee-uhm, -tohr-, mor- ]
/ ˌmɔr əˈtɔr i əm, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌmɒr- /
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See synonyms for moratorium on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural mor·a·to·ri·a [mawr-uh-tawr-ee-uh, -tohr-, mor-], /ˌmɔr əˈtɔr i ə, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌmɒr-/, mor·a·to·ri·ums.
a suspension of activity: a moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons.
a legally authorized period to delay payment of money due or the performance of some other legal obligation, as in an emergency.
an authorized period of delay or waiting.
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Origin of moratorium

1870–75; <New Latin, Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of neuter of morātōriusmoratory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to moratorium

ban, delay, freeze, halt, pause, postponement, reprieve, truce, abeyance, adjournment, break, breather, deferment, downtime, five, respite, stay, breathing spell, grace period

How to use moratorium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for moratorium

moratorium
/ (ˌmɒrəˈtɔːrɪəm) /
noun plural -ria (-rɪə) or -riums
a legally authorized postponement of the fulfilment of an obligation
an agreed suspension of activity

Derived forms of moratorium

moratory (ˈmɒrətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

Word Origin for moratorium

C19: New Latin, from Late Latin morātōrius dilatory, from mora delay
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

Cultural definitions for moratorium

moratorium
[ (mawr-uh-tawr-ee-uhm) ]

A period of delay agreed to by parties to a dispute or parties who are negotiating. A moratorium may also be an authorized delay in the repayment of a loan, especially by a nation (as in a moratorium on war debts).

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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