show-stopper
or show·stop·per
[ shoh-stop-er ]
/ ˈʃoʊˌstɒp ər /
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.
QUIZ
GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!
Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.
Question 1 of 9
Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?
Origin of show-stopper
First recorded in 1945–50
OTHER WORDS FROM show-stopper
show-stopping, showstopping, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
Words related to show-stopper
lag,
moratorium,
postponement,
problem,
setback,
stoppage,
suspension,
wait,
adjournment,
bind,
check,
cunctation,
dawdling,
demurral,
detention,
discontinuation,
downtime,
filibuster,
hindrance,
holding How to use show-stopper in a sentence
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
As soon as this attack [happened], Paris citizens came together to show were are not afraid, we are Charlie Hebdo.
And they might not have to wait that long to show their political heft.
Not actual CIA agents, but U.S. government personnel who have worked very closely with the CIA, and who are fans of the show.
Earlier this week, Huckabee ended his Fox News talk show so he could spend time mulling another bid for the Republican nomination.
None other would dare to show herself unveiled to a stranger, and a white man at that.
I shall show how it is possible thus to prolong life to the term set by God.
Not only do children thus of themselves extend the scope of our commands, they show a disposition to make rules for themselves.
He called upon the Order to show their title-deeds, but was met with a contemptuous refusal.
If any one has lost his temper, as well as his money, he takes good care not to show it; to do so here would be indeed bad form.
British Dictionary definitions for 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