Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

stoppage

American  
[stop-ij] / ˈstɒp ɪdʒ /

noun

  1. an act or instance of stopping; stop; cessation of activity.

    the stoppage of all work at the factory.

  2. the state of being stopped.

    During the stoppage of bus service he drove to work.
stoppage British  
/ ˈstɒpɪdʒ /

noun

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

  2. something that stops or blocks

  3. a deduction of money, as from pay

  4. an organized cessation of work, as during a strike

"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

Etymology

Origin of stoppage

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; stop, -age

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.

The cabin crew stoppage will affect "all Lufthansa group departures from Frankfurt and Munich airports" for the whole of Wednesday and Thursday, according to the UFO union.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

As with earlier strikes, during the 2019 teachers walkout, administrators crossed teachers’ picket lines to keep schools open and hold things together — overseeing food distribution and student supervision during the six-day work stoppage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

In time spent watching football - not including stoppage time or extra time - that works out at 522,360 minutes.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

"I think Chisora will win by late stoppage."

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

It encouraged the leaders of twenty-four separate steel worker craft unions to come together under the banner of the AFL and stage a national work stoppage.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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.