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show-stopper

or show·stop·per

[ shoh-stop-er ]
/ ˈʃoʊˌstɒp ər /
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noun
Theater. a performer, performance, or musical number that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause: The singer proves that she is simply a show-stopper after her resoundingly successful debut.
a spectacularly arresting or appealing person or thing: This bright plaid suit is a real show-stopper.
a significant obstacle or problem, especially one halting a process already underway: The bug was a show-stopper, delaying the game's release by months.
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Origin of show-stopper

First recorded in 1945–50

OTHER WORDS FROM show-stopper

show-stop·ping, show·stop·ping, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use show-stopper in a sentence

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
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