moratorium

American  

[mawr-uh-tawr-ee-uhm, -tohr-, mor-] / ˌmɔr əˈtɔr i əm, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌmɒr- /

noun

• moratoria,
  plural
• moratoriums
  plural

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.

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moratorium British  

/ ˌmɒrəˈtɔːrɪəm /

noun

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

2. an agreed suspension of activity

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moratorium Cultural  

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).

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• moratory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• moratoria
  plural
• moratoriums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of moratorium

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

Explanation

A moratorium is the suspension of a particular activity — you could have a moratorium on fishing, baking, the use of candles, or the wearing of matching socks. Generally, moratoriums go into effect when something becomes seen as being not okay for now, but might go back to being okay later. After the water fountain started to burble up green sludge, the principal put a moratorium on drinking any water at school until the fountains were fixed and the water tested.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moratorium moratoria moratoriums

The common council will vote to codify the moratorium on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The party called on First Minister John Swinney to back a moratorium on planning approvals.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Johnson, the House speaker, said on Sunday that Congress shouldn’t impose an emergency moratorium on AI development even as he said lawmakers should show a sense of urgency.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

“I do not believe every Californian has gotten a fair verdict in these fights,” he said in response to a question about extending Newsom’s moratorium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

On the basis of these promises, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to a moratorium on all demonstrations.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Perhaps more concerning for the industry, though, a spread of moratoria could add a constraint to an already scarce market for data-center sites that have adequate access to power, water and other resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

As a wave of data center opposition sweeps the country, numerous towns and counties across the U.S. have instituted temporary moratoria and other restrictions on the facilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

These could include eviction moratoria, limiting late fees on rent payments, increasing access to emergency rental assistance, and freezing rent increases.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2023

It’s unclear what exactly will happen after both eviction moratoria have lapsed.

From Slate ● Oct. 12, 2020

Thirdly: The most botched subject can secure from his prince letters of respite or moratoria; but who shall give them to the prince, unless he does it to himself?

From The Invisible Lodge by Jean Paul

Gubernatorial candidates jockey over it; both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, put temporary moratoriums on new data centers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

At least 15 states have weighed moratoriums on data-center construction, and at least 100 localities have approved one, according to Brookings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

New moratoriums rarely tend to address extant data center projects, as seen in Landover’s case, and are even fuzzier when it comes to future policy.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Among them are the US and China, which have both established voluntary moratoriums against explosive nuclear testing.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

"All praise to the power of the war-time moratoriums," Farrel declared.

From The Pride of Palomar by Peter B. (Peter Bernard) Kyne

Related Words

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