show-stopper

or show·stop·per

[shoh-stop-er]

noun

Theater. a performer or performance that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause.

a spectacularly arresting or appealing person or thing: This bright plaid suit is a real show-stopper.

Origin of show-stopper

First recorded in 1945–50

Related formsshow-stop·ping, show·stop·ping, adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for show stopper

show stopper

noun

informal a stage act, etc, that receives so much applause as to interrupt the performance

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