full stop

noun

chiefly British

: a point . used to show the end of a sentence or an abbreviation : period sense 5a

… the full stop after the roman numeral …

—Eric Korn

He found that a full stop expressed his feelings too violently, and wrote the letter again, for the fifth time …

—Anthony Trollope

… ordered the initials 'F. C. W. K.,' with the customary untrained grape-vine-looking flourishes, and a large full stop, to be engraved forthwith.

—Charles Dickens

—used interjectionally to emphasize the finality of the preceding statement

… when it comes to parenting she's the boss, full stop.

—Pamela Druckerman

Examples of full stop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Another case involved a sergeant from the Foothill gang unit who was accused in a lawsuit last year of firing at an unarmed man while jumping out of a police SUV that hadn’t yet come to a full stop. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024

Reduced delays: elimination of full stops allows for smoother traffic flow. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined above