moratorium

[mawr-uh-tawr-ee-uhm, -tohr-, mor-]

noun

plural

moratoria, moratoriums 

1. a suspension of activity.

   a moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons.

2. a legally authorized period to delay payment of money due or the performance of some other legal obligation, as in an emergency.

3. an authorized period of delay or waiting.

moratorium

/ -trɪ, ˈmɒrətərɪ, ˌmɒrəˈtɔːrɪəm /

noun

1. a legally authorized postponement of the fulfilment of an obligation

2. an agreed suspension of activity

moratorium

1. 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).

Other Word Forms

• moratory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of moratorium¹

1870–75; < New Latin, Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of neuter of morātōrius moratory

Word History and Origins

Origin of moratorium¹

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

Example Sentences

But Brazilian opponents of the agreement last week demanded the Supreme Court - the highest court in the country – reopen an investigation into whether the moratorium amounts to anti-competitive behaviour.

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They also are pressing the White House for a moratorium on firings of federal workers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For instance, Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness, Covid eviction moratorium and vaccine mandate.

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North Korea is the only country that has carried out nuclear testing since the 1990s - and even Pyongyang announced a moratorium in 2018.

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A Kremlin spokesman said that "if someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly".

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Related Words

• ban 
• delay 
• freeze 
• halt 
• pause 
• postponement 
• reprieve 
• truce 

When To Use

What does moratorium mean?

A moratorium is most commonly an official suspension or delay of some activity. Moratorium often specifically refers to the postponement of the requirement to make some kind of payment, such as rent.Such moratoriums are often enacted during emergencies or other unusual circumstances in order to provide relief to people who have lost their usual source of income. Another kind of moratorium is imposed by governments or international bodies on particular activities, such as nuclear testing or offshore drilling.Moratoriums are often temporary. They can be scheduled to end after a specified period of time, or they can be indefinite, meaning the end date will be decided later.Moratorium is also used casually (often as part of a joke) to mean an informal ban on something that you want to stop, as in I think it’s time to put a moratorium on watching TV for a while, kids. The correct plural of moratorium can be either moratoriums or moratoria. Technically speaking, moratoria is the Latin-based plural form of moratorium. (Many other Latin-derived words can be pluralized in the same way, but many are rarely used, such as stadia as the plural for stadium.)Example: Due to the pandemic, some local governments have placed a moratorium on utility payments since so many people are out of work and won’t be able to pay their bills.