show-stopper

American  

[shoh-stop-er] / ˈʃoʊˌstɒp ər /

Or showstopper

noun

1. 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.

2. a spectacularly arresting or appealing person or thing.

   This bright plaid suit is a real show-stopper.

3. 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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show stopper British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• show-stopping adjective
• showstopping adjective

Etymology

Origin of show-stopper

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

And then there's the ratings show-stopper of food TV, The Great British Bake Off.

From BBC

The dip pairs exceptionally well with tortilla chips and salsa, but it can also be enjoyed with baguette slices and apples — the perfect dinner party show-stopper.

From Salon

Her "show-stopper" is a large creation made to look like an ice cream sundae.

From BBC

The voluminous dress, in two tones of new and aged copper, was a show-stopper that Lively unfurled to ascend the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s iconic stairs at the high-fashion affair.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was the most effective show-stopper I ever came up with,” he wrote unrepentantly in his 1999 memoir, “What’s Welsh for Zen.”

From Los Angeles Times