stop-loss

American  

[stop-laws, -los] / ˈstɒpˌlɔs, -ˌlɒs /

adjective

1. designed or planned to prevent continued loss, as a customer's order to a broker to sell a stock if its price declines to a specific amount.

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stop-loss British  

adjective

1. commerce of or relating to an order to a broker in a commodity or security market to close an open position at a specified price in order to limit any loss

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Etymology

Origin of stop-loss

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stop-loss

“Gold has emerged as one of the more exposed assets, with the sell-off driven by long liquidation, stop-loss selling, and investors raising liquidity,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026

Following tactics from YouTube videos, he has been day-trading S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures and sets stop-loss orders for when stocks he buys fall 1% to 2% below what he bought them for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026

He had always used stop-loss orders — instructions to sell when a stock dropped to a certain price — to prevent disastrous declines.

From New York Times ● May 18, 2022

Treasury yields below the 1.40% level as many funds had hedged some of their wider reflation bets by putting stop-loss orders at that level.

From Reuters ● Jul. 7, 2021

In that case, you might instruct your broker to place a stop-loss order at two or more points below the market, and keep moving it up as the market price moves up.

From Successful Stock Speculation by John James Butler