Dictionary.com

stope

[ stohp ]
/ stoʊp /
Save This Word!
noun
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.
verb (used with or without object), stoped, stop·ing.
to mine or work by stopes.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stope

1740–50; apparently <Low German stope;see stoop2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stope in a sentence

  • You helped pack the mud to build the butte and stoped out the guest chamber down in hell!

    Shadow Mountain|Dane Coolidge

  • I Stoped the Canoes and brought in the flesh which was fat and fine.

    The Journals of Lewis and Clark|Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

  • She stoped immediately and turned around and went on down the River.

    The Stronghold|Miriam Haynie

British Dictionary definitions for stope

stope
/ (stəʊp) /
noun
a steplike excavation made in a mine to extract ore
verb
to mine (ore, etc) by cutting stopes

Word Origin for stope

C18: probably from Low German stope; see stoop ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK