noun
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the act of stopping or the state of being stopped
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something that stops or blocks
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a deduction of money, as from pay
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an organized cessation of work, as during a strike
Etymology
Origin of stoppage
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at 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.
Mauricio pulled one of those goals back for Paraguay in the 73rd minute, before Gio Reyna closed the scoring with his first World Cup goal deep in stoppage time.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Mexico’s César Montes was sent off in stoppage time for bringing down Khuliso Mudau outside the box as he was heading toward the goal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
The work stoppage starts Monday at 12:01 a.m.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
A Samsung strike "would almost certainly have been the biggest work stoppage in the history of the global semiconductor industry", South Korean writer and researcher Kap Seol said in an article for US magazine Jacobin.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
Yes, there was warning—years of it, in fact—but public service announcements about conservation are a whole lot different from a total stoppage.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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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.