stopper

[ stop-er ]

/ ˈstɒp ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stopper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that stops.

a plug, cork, bung, or other piece for closing a bottle, tube, drain, or the like.

Informal. something or someone that commands attention, as an unusual window display or a flamboyant person.

Cards. a card in a suit that prevents the successive taking of all tricks in the suit by the opponents.

Baseball Slang. a formidably and consistently effective pitcher counted on to win, as a team's best starting pitcher or a superior reliever often called on to preserve a victory; pitching ace.

verb (used with object)

to close, secure, or fit with a stopper.

RELATED WORDS

lid, wad, cork, fill, bung, stopple

Nearby words

stoppage time, stoppard, stoppard, tom, stopped, stopped diapason, stopper, stopping, stopping by woods on a snowy evening, stopping power, stopple, stops

Origin of stopper

First recorded in 1470–80; stop + -er¹

Related formsstop·per·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stopper

If a stoppered bottle is available, the stopper must be taken out and measured as to its diameter at the top and bottoM.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall
I remembered my flask, and unscrewing the stopper with difficulty, clutched the mouth with my teeth and drank.
The Ghost|Arnold Bennett
In cold weather the bottle should be warmed in the hands before the stopper is removed.
Endless Amusement|Unknown
Miss Janet's vicinity seemed to have put the stopper on romance.
The Head Girl at the Gables|Angela Brazil

"It puts a stopper on the play of fancy, and checks the throwing off of steam," Fellingham remonstrated.
The Short Works of George Meredith|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for stopper

stopper

/ (ˈstɒpə) /

noun

Also: stopple (ˈstɒpəl) a plug or bung for closing a bottle, pipe, duct, etc

a person or thing that stops or puts an end to something

bridge another name for stop (def. 39)

verb

Also: stopple (tr) to close or fit with a stopper

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

Word Origin and History for stopper

stopper

"glass plug for a bottle neck," 1660s, agent noun from stop (v.).