stop short
Idioms-
Also, stop one short . Check abruptly, as in When we tried to cross the street, the barrier stopped us short . [Early 1300s]
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Cause someone to stop speaking, as in I was about to tell them the date when my father stopped me short . [Late 1800s]
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stop short of . Not go so far as to do or say something. For example, He may embroider the truth but he stops short of actually lying . This usage was first recorded in 1818.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Paramount’s documents stop short of promising that the Ellisons are “backstopping” the equity portion of the deal, as promised.
From Los Angeles Times
The FT suggests the chancellor is considering measures to tackle child poverty which stop short of abolishing the limit altogether.
From BBC
While dating pigments and other elements to Malevich's lifetime, the reports stop short of claiming the works were painted by the artist.
From BBC
Oddly, some people still stop short of characterizing “Andor” as commentary on fascism, although parallels between the Empire and Adolf Hitler's Third Reich abound.
From Salon
And the rules stop short of forcing people into treatment.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
