stop

/stɑp/

/stɒp/
IPA guide

Other forms: stopped; stopping; stops; stoping

You know that red octagonal traffic sign that says STOP? It's telling you to stop moving and to stay put.

You're familiar with stop as a word meaning "quit moving," but the word's original meaning is "to plug up a hole," like when you stop the hole in your bucket with oakum (or napkins). In English, stop came to mean "arrest" for any kind of movement. Stop crime! Stop that check! Stop that thief! Stop writing commands with stop! A stop can also be a place to rest, and the period at the end of this sentence is a "full stop."

Definitions of stop
  1. verb
    have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
    “Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other”
    synonyms: cease, end, finish, terminate
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    begin, start
    have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
    begin, start
    have a beginning characterized in some specified way
    begin
    have a beginning, of a temporal event
    show more antonyms...
    types:
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    pass away
    go out of existence
    lapse
    end, at least for a long time
    cut out
    cease operating
    go out
    become extinguished
    adjourn, break up, recess
    close at the end of a session
    disappear, vanish
    cease to exist
    climax, culminate
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
    run out
    become used up; be exhausted
    go, run low, run short
    to be spent or finished
    disappear, go away, vanish
    become invisible or unnoticeable
    close, conclude
    come to a close
    come out, turn out
    result or end
    discontinue
    come to or be at an end
    break
    come to an end
    dematerialise, dematerialize
    become immaterial; disappear
    crown, top
    be the culminating event
    clear, dissipate
    go away or disappear
    bob under
    disappear suddenly, as if under the surface of a body of water
    eventuate
    come out in the end
    work out
    happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well
    fizzle, fizzle out, peter out, taper off
    end weakly
    leave off
    come to an end, stop or cease
    expire, run out
    lose validity
  2. verb
    come to a halt, stop moving
    “the car stopped”
    “She stopped in front of a store window”
    synonyms: halt
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    get going, go, start
    begin or set in motion
    types:
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    go off
    stop running, functioning, or operating
    pull up short
    stop abruptly
    check
    stop for a moment, as if out of uncertainty or caution
    check
    stop in a chase especially when scent is lost
    check
    abandon the intended prey, turn, and pursue an inferior prey
    rein, rein in
    stop or slow up one's horse or oneself by or as if by pulling the reins
    conk, stall
    come to a stop
    stall
    experience a stall in flight, of airplanes
    draw up, haul up, pull up
    come to a halt after driving somewhere
    brake
    stop travelling by applying a brake
    settle
    come to rest
  3. verb
    cause to stop
    “stop a car”
    “stop the thief”
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    start, start up
    get going or set in motion
    types:
    show 13 types...
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    check
    arrest the motion (of something) abruptly
    rein, rein in
    stop or check by or as if by a pull at the reins
    arrest, halt, hold
    cause to stop
    bring up
    cause to come to a sudden stop
    cut
    stop filming
    flag down
    signal to stop
    stall
    cause an engine to stop
    stall
    cause an airplane to go into a stall
    draw up, pull up
    cause (a vehicle) to stop
    brake
    cause to stop by applying the brakes
    halt, stanch, staunch, stem
    stop the flow of a liquid
    pull
    rein in to keep from winning a race
    skid
    apply a brake or skid to
  4. verb
    put an end to a state or an activity
    synonyms: cease, discontinue, give up, lay off, quit
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    bear on, carry on, continue, preserve, uphold
    keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
    continue, go forward, proceed
    move ahead; travel onward in time or space
    continue, go along, go on, keep, proceed
    continue a certain state, condition, or activity
    show more antonyms...
    types:
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    drop, knock off
    stop pursuing or acting
    leave off
    stop using
    sign off
    cease broadcasting; get off the air; as of radio stations
    retire, withdraw
    withdraw from active participation
    pull the plug
    prevent from happening or continuing
    close off, shut off
    stem the flow of
    cheese
    used in the imperative (get away, or stop it)
    call it a day, call it quits
    stop doing what one is doing
    break
    give up
    nol.pros., nolle pros, nolle prosequi
    drop prosecution of by entering a nolle prosequi in the court records
    drop out
    withdraw from established society, especially because of disillusion with conventional values
  5. verb
    prevent completion
    “stop the project”
    synonyms: break, break off, discontinue
    see moresee less
    types:
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    fracture
    become fractured
    bog, bog down
    get stuck while doing something
    break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt
    make a break in
    cut, cut off
    cease, stop
    punctuate
    interrupt periodically
    break
    interrupt the flow of current in
    put aside, put away
    turn away from and put aside, perhaps temporarily
    break, intermit, pause
    cease an action temporarily
    barge in, break in, butt in, chime in, chisel in, cut in, put in
    break into a conversation
    burst in on, burst upon
    spring suddenly
    heckle
    challenge aggressively
    come in, inject, interject, interpose, put in, throw in
    to insert between other elements
    block, jam
    interfere with or prevent the reception of signals
    stop over
    interrupt a trip
    take off, take time off
    take time off from work; stop working temporarily
    interject
    speak abruptly, especially as an interruption
    type of:
    end, terminate
    bring to an end or halt
  6. verb
    interrupt a trip
    “we stopped at Aunt Mary's house”
    “they stopped for three days in Florence”
    synonyms: stop over
    see moresee less
    types:
    call
    make a stop in a harbour
    lay over, stop over
    interrupt a journey temporarily, e.g., overnight
    type of:
    break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt
    make a break in
  7. verb
    stop from happening or developing
    synonyms: block, halt, kibosh
    see moresee less
    types:
    embargo
    prevent commerce
    stay
    stop a judicial process
    type of:
    forbid, foreclose, forestall, preclude, preempt, prevent
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
  8. verb
    seize on its way
    synonyms: intercept
    see moresee less
    types:
    cut off, cut out
    cut off and stop
    type of:
    catch, grab, take hold of
    take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
  9. verb
    stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments
    synonyms: hold on
    see moresee less
    type of:
    break, interrupt
    terminate
  10. verb
    hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
    synonyms: arrest, check, contain, hold back, turn back
    see moresee less
    types:
    cut down, cut out
    intercept (a player)
    type of:
    defend
    be on the defensive; act against an attack
  11. noun
    the event of something ending
    “it came to a stop at the bottom of the hill”
    synonyms: halt, kibosh
    see moresee less
    types:
    cessation, surcease
    a stopping
    stand, standstill, tie-up
    an interruption of normal activity
    legal separation, separation
    (law) the cessation of cohabitation of man and wife (either by mutual agreement or under a court order)
    type of:
    conclusion, ending, finish
    event whose occurrence ends something
  12. noun
    the act of stopping something
    “the third baseman made some remarkable stops”
    synonyms: stoppage
    see moresee less
    types:
    stand-down, standdown
    (military) a temporary stop of offensive military action
    haemostasia, haemostasis, hemostasia, hemostasis
    surgical procedure of stopping the flow of blood (as with a hemostat)
    type of:
    act, deed, human action, human activity
    something that people do or cause to happen
  13. noun
    a spot where something halts or pauses
    “his next stop is Atlanta”
    see moresee less
    types:
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    bus stop
    a place on a bus route where buses stop to discharge and take on passengers
    checkpoint
    a place (as at a frontier) where travellers are stopped for inspection and clearance
    loading area, loading zone
    a stop where carriers can be loaded and unloaded
    stopover, way station
    a stopping place on a journey
    type of:
    place, spot, topographic point
    a point located with respect to surface features of some region
  14. noun
    a brief stay in the course of a journey
    synonyms: layover, stopover
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 4 types...
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    night-stop
    a break in a journey for the night
    pit stop
    a brief stop at a pit during an automobile race to take on fuel or service the car
    pit stop
    a stop during an automobile trip for rest and refreshment
    stand
    a stop made by a touring musical or theatrical group to give a performance
    type of:
    stay
    continuing or remaining in a place or state
  15. noun
    the state of inactivity following an interruption
    “he spent the entire stop in his seat”
    synonyms: arrest, check, halt, hitch, stay, stoppage
    see moresee less
    types:
    countercheck
    a check that restrains another check
    logjam
    any stoppage attributable to unusual activity
    type of:
    inaction, inactiveness, inactivity
    the state of being inactive
  16. verb
    render unsuitable for passage
    “stop the busy road”
    synonyms: bar, barricade, block, block off, block up, blockade
    block, obstruct
    shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight
    see moresee less
    types:
    block off, close off, shut off
    block off the passage through
    close
    bar access to
    type of:
    block, close up, impede, jam, obstruct, obturate, occlude
    block passage through
  17. noun
    an obstruction in a pipe or tube
    synonyms: block, blockage, closure, occlusion, stoppage
    see moresee less
    types:
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    breech closer, breechblock
    a metal block in breech-loading firearms that is withdrawn to insert a cartridge and replaced to close the breech before firing
    plug, stopper, stopple
    blockage consisting of an object designed to fill a hole tightly
    vapor lock, vapour lock
    a stoppage in a pipeline caused by gas bubbles (especially a stoppage that develops in hot weather in an internal-combustion engine when fuel in the gas line boils and forms bubbles that block the flow of gasoline to the carburetor)
    bung, spile
    a plug used to close a hole in a barrel or flask
    bottle cork, cork
    the plug in the mouth of a bottle (especially a wine bottle)
    drainplug
    a removable plug for holding water in a tub or basin
    earplug
    a plug of cotton, wax, or rubber that is fitted into the ear canal for protection against the entry of water or loud noise
    fipple
    a wooden plug forming a flue pipe (as the mouthpiece of a recorder)
    tampion, tompion
    plug for the muzzle of a gun to keep out dust and moisture
    tampon
    plug of cotton or other absorbent material; inserted into wound or body cavity to absorb exuded fluids (especially blood)
    spigot, tap
    a plug for a bunghole in a cask
    type of:
    impediment, impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor
    any structure that makes progress difficult
  18. noun
    a restraint that checks the motion of something
    “he used a book as a stop to hold the door open”
    synonyms: catch
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 4 types...
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    bench hook
    any of various stops on a workbench against which work can be pushed (as while chiseling or planing)
    doorstop, doorstopper
    a stop that keeps open doors from moving
    click, detent, dog, pawl
    a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward
    trip, tripper
    a catch mechanism that acts as a switch
    type of:
    constraint, restraint
    a device that impede's something's motion
  19. noun
    a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it
    “his stop consonants are too aspirated”
    synonyms: occlusive, plosive, plosive consonant, plosive speech sound, stop consonant
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    continuant, continuant consonant
    consonant articulated by constricting (but not closing) the vocal tract
    types:
    labial stop
    a stop consonant that is produced with the lips
    glottal catch, glottal plosive, glottal stop
    a stop consonant articulated by releasing pressure at the glottis; as in the sudden onset of a vowel
    click, suction stop
    a stop consonant made by the suction of air into the mouth (as in Bantu)
    type of:
    obstruent
    a consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouth
  20. noun
    a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens
    synonyms: diaphragm
    see moresee less
    types:
    iris, iris diaphragm
    diaphragm consisting of thin overlapping plates that can be adjusted to change the diameter of a central opening
    type of:
    mechanical device
    mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles
  21. noun
    (music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes
    “the organist pulled out all the stops”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    knob
    a round handle
  22. noun
    a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations
    synonyms: full point, full stop, period, point
    see moresee less
    types:
    suspension point
    (usually plural) one of a series of points indicating that something has been omitted or that the sentence is incomplete
    type of:
    punctuation, punctuation mark
    the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of words into sentences and clauses and phrases
Pronunciation
US

/stɑp/
UK

/stɒp/
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