stope

American  

[stohp] / stoʊp /

noun

1. any excavation made in a mine, especially from a steeply inclined vein, to remove the ore that has been rendered accessible by the shafts and drifts.

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verb (used with or without object)

stoped, stoping

1. to mine or work by stopes.

stope British  

/ stəʊp /

noun

1. a steplike excavation made in a mine to extract ore

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verb

1. to mine (ore, etc) by cutting stopes

Etymology

Origin of stope

1740–50; apparently < Low German stope; see stoop ²

Example Sentences

We need to stope mistaking success for heroism.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2017

He'd the gall to tell us to our faces that we'd no pull over him, because we were doing private work in Thompson's stope and stealing Wilbraham's gold out of it.

From The La Chance Mine Mystery by Gage, George W.

Whereas, to hold Macartney at La Chance till I downed his gang—— "By gad," I flashed out, "I can do it—in Thompson's abandoned stope!"

From The La Chance Mine Mystery by Gage, George W.

You stay here with Charliet, while Collins and I meet Macartney in Thompson's stope.

From The La Chance Mine Mystery by Gage, George W.

I swung myself up on it, mechanically, and felt my feet go through the solid stope wall, into space.

From The La Chance Mine Mystery by Gage, George W.