stop

American  

[stop] / stɒp /

verb (used with object)

• stops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stopped,
  past participle,  past
• stopt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• stopping
  present participle

1. to cease from, leave off, or discontinue.

   to stop running.

   Antonyms:

   start

2. to cause to cease; put an end to.

   to stop noise in the street.

   Antonyms:

   start

3. to interrupt, arrest, or check (a course, proceeding, process, etc.).

   Stop your work just a minute.

   Antonyms:

   start

4. to cut off, intercept, or withhold.

   to stop supplies.

5. to restrain, hinder, or prevent (usually followed byfrom ).

   I couldn't stop him from going.

   Synonyms:

   impede, obstruct, thwart

6. to prevent from proceeding, acting, operating, continuing, etc..

   to stop a speaker; to stop a car.

7. to block, obstruct, or close (a passageway, channel, opening, duct, etc.) (usually followed byup ).

   He stopped up the sink with a paper towel. He stopped the hole in the tire with a patch.

8. to fill the hole or holes in (a wall, a decayed tooth, etc.).

9. to close (a container, tube, etc.) with a cork, plug, bung, or the like.

10. to close the external orifice of (the ears, nose, mouth, etc.).

11. Sports.

    1. to check (a stroke, blow, etc.); parry; ward off.

    2. to defeat (an opposing player or team).

       The Browns stopped the Colts.

    3. Boxing. to defeat by a knockout or technical knockout.

       Louis stopped Conn in the 13th round.

12. Banking. to notify a bank to refuse payment of (a check) upon presentation.

13. Bridge. to have an honor card and a sufficient number of protecting cards to keep an opponent from continuing to win in (a suit).

14. Music.

    1. to close (a fingerhole) in order to produce a particular note from a wind instrument.

    2. to press down (a string of a violin, viola, etc.) in order to alter the pitch of the tone produced from it.

    3. to produce (a particular note) by so doing.

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verb (used without object)

• stops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stopped,
  past participle,  past
• stopt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• stopping
  present participle

1. to come to a stand, as in a course or journey; halt.

2. to cease moving, proceeding, speaking, acting, operating, etc.; to pause; desist.

   Synonyms:

   quit

3. to cease; come to an end.

4. to halt for a brief visit (often followed by at, in, orby ).

   He is stopping at the best hotel in town.

5. stop by, to make a brief visit on one's way elsewhere.

   I'll stop by on my way home.

noun

• stops
  plural

1. the act of stopping.

2. a cessation or arrest of movement, action, operation, etc.; end.

   The noise came to a stop. Put a stop to that behavior!

   Synonyms:

   termination, halt

3. a stay or sojourn made at a place, as in the course of a journey.

   Above all, he enjoyed his stop in Trieste.

4. a place where trains or other vehicles halt to take on and discharge passengers.

   Is this a bus stop?

   Synonyms:

   terminal

5. a closing or filling up, as of a hole.

6. a blocking or obstructing, as of a passage or channel.

7. a plug or other stopper for an opening.

8. an obstacle, impediment, or hindrance.

9. any piece or device that serves to check or control movement or action in a mechanism.

   Synonyms:

   governor

10. Architecture. a feature terminating a molding or chamfer.

11. Commerce.

    1. an order to refuse payment of a check.

    2. stop order.

12. Music.

    1. the act of closing a fingerhole or pressing a string of an instrument in order to produce a particular note.

    2. a device or contrivance, as on an instrument, for accomplishing this.

    3. (in an organ) a graduated set of pipes of the same kind and giving tones of the same quality.

    4. Also called stop knob. a knob or handle that is drawn out or pushed back to permit or prevent the sounding of such a set of pipes or to control some other part of the organ.

    5. (in a reed organ) a group of reeds functioning like a pipe-organ stop.

13. Sports. an individual defensive play or act that prevents an opponent or opposing team from scoring, advancing, or gaining an advantage, as a catch in baseball, a tackle in football, or the deflection of a shot in hockey.

14. Nautical. a piece of small line used to lash or fasten something, as a furled sail.

15. Phonetics.

    1. an articulation that interrupts the flow of air from the lungs.

    2. a consonant sound characterized by stop articulation, as p, b, t, d, k, and g.

16. Photography. the diaphragm opening of a lens, especially as indicated by an f- number.

17. Building Trades.

    1. stop bead.

    2. doorstop.

18. any of various marks used as punctuation at the end of a sentence, especially a period.

19. the word “stop” printed in the body of a telegram or cablegram to indicate a period.

20. (used with a singular verb) stops, a family of card games whose object is to play all of one's cards in a predetermined sequence before one's opponents.

21. Zoology. a depression in the face of certain animals, especially dogs, marking the division between the forehead and the projecting part of the muzzle.

verb phrase

1. stop down (on a camera) to reduce (the diaphragm opening of a lens).

2. stop in to make a brief, incidental visit.

   If you're in town, be sure to stop in.

3. stop off to halt for a brief stay at some point on the way elsewhere.

   On the way to Rome we stopped off at Florence.

4. stop over to stop briefly in the course of a journey.

   Many motorists were forced to stop over in that town because of floods.

5. stop out

   1. to mask (certain areas of an etching plate, photographic negative, etc.) with varnish, paper, or the like, to prevent their being etched, printed, etc.

   2. to withdraw temporarily from school.

      Most of the students who stop out eventually return to get their degrees.

idioms

1. pull out all the stops,

   1. to use every means available.

   2. to express, do, or carry out something without reservation.

stop British  

/ stɒp /

verb

1. to cease from doing or being (something); discontinue

   stop talking

2. to cause (something moving) to halt or (of something moving) to come to a halt

   to stop a car

   the car stopped

3. (tr) to prevent the continuance or completion of

   to stop a show

4. to prevent or restrain

   to stop George from fighting

5. (tr) to keep back

   to stop supplies to the navy

6. (tr) to intercept or hinder in transit

   to stop a letter

7. to block or plug, esp so as to close

   to stop up a pipe

8. to fill a hole or opening in

   to stop up a wall

9. (tr) to staunch or stem

   to stop a wound

10. (tr) to instruct a bank not to honour (a cheque)

11. (tr) to deduct (money) from pay

12. (tr) to provide with punctuation

13. (tr) boxing to beat (an opponent) either by a knockout or a technical knockout

14. informal (tr) to receive (a blow, hit, etc)

15. (intr) to stay or rest

    we stopped at the Robinsons' for three nights

16. rare (tr) to defeat, beat, or kill

17. (tr) music

    1. to alter the vibrating length of (a string on a violin, guitar, etc) by pressing down on it at some point with the finger

    2. to alter the vibrating length of an air column in a wind instrument by closing (a finger hole, etc)

    3. to produce (a note) in this manner

18. (tr) to place a hand inside (the bell of a French horn) to alter the tone colour and pitch or play (a note) on a French horn in such a manner

19. bridge to have a protecting card or winner in (a suit in which one's opponents are strong)

20. to be prepared to do anything; be unscrupulous or ruthless

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noun

1. an arrest of movement or progress

2. the act of stopping or the state of being stopped

3. a place where something halts or pauses

   a bus stop

4. a stay in or as if in the course of a journey

5. the act or an instance of blocking or obstructing

6. a plug or stopper

7. a block, screw, or other device or object that prevents, limits, or terminates the motion of a mechanism or moving part

8. a punctuation mark, esp a full stop

9. Also called: stop thrust. fencing a counterthrust made without a parry in the hope that one's blade will touch before one's opponent's blade

10. short for stop payment stop order

11. music

    1. the act of stopping the string, finger hole, etc, of an instrument

    2. a set of organ pipes or harpsichord strings that may be allowed to sound as a group by muffling or silencing all other such sets

    3. a knob, lever, or handle on an organ, etc, that is operated to allow sets of pipes to sound

    4. an analogous device on a harpsichord or other instrument with variable registers, such as an electrophonic instrument

12. 1. to play at full volume

    2. to spare no effort

13. a stud on a football boot

14. the angle between the forehead and muzzle of a dog or cat, regarded as a point in breeding

15. nautical a short length of line or small stuff used as a tie, esp for a furled sail

16. Also called: stop consonant. phonetics any of a class of consonants articulated by first making a complete closure at some point of the vocal tract and then releasing it abruptly with audible plosion. Stops include the labials (p, b), the alveolars or dentals (t, d), the velars (k, g) Compare continuant

17. Also called: f-stop. photog

    1. a setting of the aperture of a camera lens, calibrated to the corresponding f-number

    2. another name for diaphragm

18. a block or carving used to complete the end of a moulding

19. Also called: stopper. bridge a protecting card or winner in a suit in which one's opponents are strong

stop More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stop

• buck stops here
• pull out all the stops
• put an end (a stop) to

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Synonym Usage

Stop, arrest, check, halt imply causing a cessation of movement or progress (literal or figurative). Stop is the general term for the idea: to stop a clock. Arrest usually refers to stopping by imposing a sudden and complete restraint: to arrest development. Check implies bringing about an abrupt, partial, or temporary stop: to check a trotting horse. To halt means to make a temporary stop, especially one resulting from a command: to halt a company of soldiers.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stoplessness
  noun
• multistop
  adjective
• stopless
  adjective
• stoppable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stops
  plural

Participles

• stopping
  present
• stopped
  past
• stopt
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stop
  simple
• stops
  simple
• have stopped
  perfect
• have stopt
  perfect
• has stopped
  perfect
• has stopt
  perfect
• am stopping
  progressive
• are stopping
  progressive
• is stopping
  progressive
• have been stopping
  perfect progressive
• has been stopping
  perfect progressive

Past

• stopped
  simple
• stopt
  simple
• had stopped
  perfect
• had stopt
  perfect
• was stopping
  progressive
• were stopping
  progressive
• had been stopping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stop
  simple
• will have stopped
  perfect
• will have stopt
  perfect
• will be stopping
  progressive
• will have been stopping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stop

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb stoppen, stop(pe), Old English -stoppian; cognate with Dutch, Low German stoppen, German stopfen; all ultimately from Vulgar Latin stuppāre (unrecorded), “to plug with oakum,” derivative of Latin stuppa “coarse hemp or flax,” from Greek stýppē

Explanation

You know that red octagonal traffic sign that says STOP? It's telling you to stop moving and to stay put. You're familiar with stop as a word meaning "quit moving," but the word's original meaning is "to plug up a hole," like when you stop the hole in your bucket with oakum (or napkins). In English, stop came to mean "arrest" for any kind of movement. Stop crime! Stop that check! Stop that thief! Stop writing commands with stop! A stop can also be a place to rest, and the period at the end of this sentence is a "full stop."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stop stops stopped stopt stopping

In August, sand erosion exposed a pair of jetties that were built decades ago to stop beach erosion and protect oceanfront homes near the entrance of Newport Harbor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

American chip making giant Nvidia announced on Monday that it created a system designed to stop autonomous AI programs from straying beyond what they were instructed to do.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Lake also picked up a brace of scores - the first of which Dafydd Jenkins was unable to stop - as he impressed alongside fellow new boy Morgan in Gloucester's win over Exeter.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nearly four years after the public launch of ChatGPT, the AI boom is still going, the bulls are still dancing, and investors are listening for any sign that the music is about to stop playing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

“Why are you always making mountains out of molehills, Lexie? You’re just like your mother. Can’t you just relax and stop being so difficult?”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The northern city will be among his stops in Peru, along with Lima, Cusco and Pucallpa.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

One new component of Studebaker and the other newer lanes are raised bus stops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

In the north-western city of Lutsk, electronic information boards at public transport stops were not working on Friday, officials said.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Once oil stops going up, at whatever price level, its direct impact on inflation disappears.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Jonah stops at the top, jogging in place as he waits for me, and his face screws up with worry.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

When Evan Gershkovich was arrested by Russia’s security forces in 2023—the first U.S. journalist charged with espionage in the country since the Cold War—he never stopped reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

While the sergeant stopped to investigate, police dispatchers were simultaneously getting 911 calls about the incident, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The regular coffee drinkers first stopped consuming coffee for two weeks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

She wondered why he had stopped listening, had become unreliable, was unable to get a job and had been diagnosed with depression.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

“I wouldn’t have stopped texting if I knew you liked hearing from me.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

I stopt in my tracks and looked agin and then I seed it was my brother Bill growed to look as old as pa looked a fue years back.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

“Oh no! he had never written, hardly ever, any thing of the kind in his life. The stupidest fellow! He was afraid not even Miss Woodhouse”—he stopt a moment—“or Miss Smith could inspire him.”

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Harriet was on the point of leaving the room, and only stopt to say, with a very interesting naïveté,

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Of Substances stopt between the Mouth and the Stomach —— 411 Chap.

From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David) Tissot

Why, all the Saints and Sages who discuss'd Of the Two Worlds so wisely—they are thrust Like foolish Prophets forth; their Words to scorn Are scatter'd, and their Mouths are stopt with dust.

From The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyam

Whether it’s contributing to charity, stopping to talk to an elderly neighbor or, as you say, giving something — however modest — to a homeless person, every little bit helps.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth fastest, but did not get a lap on the fastest soft-compound tyres after stopping on track with a hydraulic leak.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The writer told the New York Times in an interview this spring that he was inspired to start the novel after witnessing immigration agents stopping people during a trip to Florida in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Having said that, that’s not stopping anybody from citing that case in environmental law cases.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Without stopping to catch his breath, Duane leaped into what was left of the Cold, Cold Ocean and paddled toward the Shipwreck.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• break
• cease
• close
• drop
• end
• halt
• hold
• kill
• pause
• put an end to
• quit
• stall
• stand
• stay