stop

1 of 3

verb

ˈstäp 

stopped; stopping

transitive verb

1

a

: to close by filling or obstructing

b

: to hinder or prevent the passage of

c

: to get in the way of : be wounded or killed by

easy to stop a bullet along a lonely … road

—Harvey Fergusson

2

a

: to close up or block off (an opening) : plug

b

: to make impassable : choke, obstruct

c

: to cover over or fill in (a hole or crevice)

3

a

: to cause to give up or change a course of action

b

: to keep from carrying out a proposed action : restrain, prevent

stopped them from leaving

4

a

: to cause to cease : check, suppress

b

: discontinue

5

a

: to deduct or withhold (a sum due)

b

: to instruct one's bank to refuse (payment) or refuse payment of (something, such as a check)

6

a

: to arrest the progress or motion of : cause to halt

stopped the car

b

: parry

c

: to check by means of a weapon : bring down, kill

d

: to beat in a boxing match by a knockout

broadly : defeat

e

: baffle, nonplus

7

a

: to change the pitch of (something, such as a violin string) by pressing with the finger

b

: to change the pitch of (a wind instrument) by closing one or more finger holes or by thrusting the hand or a mute into the bell

8

: to hold an honor card and enough protecting cards to be able to block (a bridge suit) before an opponent can run many tricks

intransitive verb

1

a

: to cease activity or operation

his heart stopped

the motor stopped

b

: to come to an end especially suddenly : close, finish

The talking stopped when she entered the room.

2

a

: to cease to move on : halt

b

: pause, hesitate

3

a

: to break one's journey : stay

b

chiefly British : remain

c

: to make a brief call : drop in

4

: to become choked : clog

the sink often stops up

stoppable

ˈstä-pə-bəl 

adjective

stop

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: cessation, end

b

: a pause or breaking off in speech

2

a(1)

: a graduated set of organ pipes of similar design and tone quality

(2)

: a corresponding set of vibrators or reeds of a reed organ

(3)

: stop knob

—often used figuratively in phrases like pull out all the stops to suggest holding nothing back

b

: a means of regulating the pitch of a musical instrument

3

a

: something that impedes, obstructs, or brings to a halt : impediment, obstacle

b

: the aperture of a camera lens

also : a marking of a series (as of f-numbers) on a camera for indicating settings of the diaphragm

c

: a drain plug : stopper

4

: a device for arresting or limiting motion

5

: the act of stopping : the state of being stopped : check

6

a

: a halt in a journey : stay

made a brief stop to refuel

b

: a stopping place

a bus stop

7

a

chiefly British : any of several punctuation marks

b

—used in telegrams and cables to indicate a period

c

: a pause or break in a verse that marks the end of a grammatical unit

8

a

: an order stopping payment (as of a check or note) by a bank

b

: stop order

9

: a consonant characterized by complete closure of the breath passage in the course of articulation compare continuant

10

: a depression in the face of an animal at the junction of forehead and muzzle

11

: a function of an electronic device that stops a recording

stop

3 of 3

adjective

: serving to stop : designed to stop

stop line

stop signal

Synonyms

Verb

• break
• break off
• break up
• can [slang]
• cease
• cut off
• cut out
• desist (from)
• discontinue
• drop
• end
• give over
• halt
• knock off
• lay off
• leave off
• pack (up or in)
• quit
• shut off

Noun

• layover
• stopover

Choose the Right Synonym for stop

stop, cease, quit, discontinue, desist mean to suspend or cause to suspend activity.

stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

cease applies to states, conditions, or existence and may add a suggestion of gradualness and a degree of finality.

by nightfall the fighting had ceased

quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

Examples of stop in a Sentence

Verb

She was walking toward me, and then she suddenly stopped.

The bus stopped at the corner.

He stopped to watch the sun set.

He stopped to pick up a penny.

The car was going so fast that it couldn't stop in time.

The traffic light turned red, so she had to stop.

Stop that man! He stole my wallet.

They stopped us at the border to check our passports.

She stopped the car and turned back.

He was stopped by the police for speeding.

Noun

His first stop will be Washington, D.C.

Our first stop has to be the gas station.

I need to make a stop at the grocery store on the way home.

The next stop is Main Street and Tower Square.

I'm getting off at the next stop.

Slow down as you approach the stop.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His agent also said Mixon ultimately stopped Brewer from firing. —Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 23 Apr. 2024

More:Pilot projects will help stop the overreporting of children of color to child welfare A bill proposes conserving some benefit money for kids While Congress could prohibit states from taking money from foster children, the issue has not garnered momentum at the federal level. —Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024

The iconic Canadian vocalist appeared on the cover of Vogue France and opened up about dealing with the disease that has stopped her from performing for several years. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2024

Seeing a crudo dish on any menu these days isn’t unusual, but the hamachi with white ponzu, serrano and garlic oil is a standout, as is the show stopping lobster risotto, made with sushi rice instead of the usual arborio. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

Many of the governments in the region had participated in stymieing previous Gaza missions, including Greece, which stopped boats from departing in 2011. —Kareem Fahim and Beril Eski The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024

Once the Echo Show hit the market, those sales declined sharply and retailers stopped placing orders. —Dana Mattioli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024

The hope is that operating such projects around the country and the world will not only stop global warming, but eventually help reverse it, said Christian Theuer, Heirloom’s policy communications manager. —Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

The State College Borough Water Authority in Pennsylvania stopped adding fluoride to the water of its 75,000 customers in March 2023. —Melba Newsome, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

Noun

Her attacker got off at the same stop and ran away. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024

But last week, in New York, Mr. Trump’s only political event was a stop at an Upper Manhattan bodega to emphasize crime rates in the borough. —Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024

In addition to the star/stop button, a second button plays Thomas phrases and train sounds. —Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Apr. 2024

This weekend, multiple officers responded to a large sideshow in south Kansas City, deploying stop sticks at nearby intersections. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024

Cleveland and the New York Yankees, a four-game series on the second stop, are division leaders. —Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024

The competitors are battling not just to win this event, but for points to go toward their PPA ranking during the 26 stops on the tour. —Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 19 Apr. 2024

The day after his top-five finish in Augusta, Homa hit the road to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the next stop on the PGA Tour. —Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024

Taylor Wilson: The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop that applied to all Alaska Airlines and subcarrier flights after about an hour yesterday. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024

Adjective

After years of non-stop work, Maluma was tired. —Rosy Cordero, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2021

The non-stop buzz, the magazine articles, the red-carpet interviews. —Ellis Rosen, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2023

Beginning in July, Southwest Airlines is adding non-stop service to Las Vegas on Sundays, to complement the current Saturday service. —William Thornton | [e-mail], al, 30 Mar. 2023

From the moment that ChatGPT was released into the wild, it’s been a non-stop stream of new products, features and announcements all across tech. —Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023

The three-time world champion’s path to victory was a non-stop dogfight between some of the most legendary dragsters in NHRA history. —Cole Cusumano, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2023

For five days straight, millions of people flock to the bustling, South American treasure for non-stop celebrations of community, and freedom—and after a brief hiatus following the COVID pandemic—hopefulness. —Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 24 Mar. 2023

While people around him acted as non-stop consumers, justifying their existence in this manner, Michael hardly ever went shopping. —László F. Földényi, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023

During the work week, Dave and Jenny have a non-stop schedule. —Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stoppen, from Old English -stoppian, from Vulgar Latin *stuppare to stop with tow, from Latin stuppa tow, from Greek styppē

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1594, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stop

• bring/put a stop to
• bring (something) to a stop
• bus stop
• click stop
• come to a stop
• crawl to a stop/standstill
• double-stop
• draw to a halt/stop
• fire-stop
• flag stop
• flue stop
• f-stop
• full stop
• glottal stop
• make a stop
• one-stop
• pipe stop
• pit stop
• rest stop
• screech to a halt/stop
• short-stop
• stop-action
• stop-and-go
• stop at nothing
• stop bath
• stop by
• stop (dead) in one's tracks
• stop down
• stop/freeze in one's tracks
• stop-go
• stop in
• stop knob
• stop-motion
• stop off
• stop order
• stop out
• stop payment
• stop short
• stop sign
• stop (someone) in his/her tracks
• stop the rot
• stop to think
• stop up
• suction stop
• to a stop
• traffic stop
• truck stop
• whistle-stop

Kids Definition

stop

1 of 3 verb

ˈstäp 

stopped; stopping

1

: to close an opening by filling or blocking it : plug

nose stopped up by a cold

2

: restrain sense 1a, prevent

stopped me from going

3

: to interrupt or prevent from continuing or occurring : check

couldn't stop the noise

4

: to instruct one's bank not to pay

stop payment on a check

5

: to halt the movement or progress of

stop the car

6

: to change the pitch of (as a violin string) by pressing with the finger

7

a

: to bring action or operation to an end

the motor stopped

b

: to come to an end

sit down when the music stops

8

: to make a visit

stopping with friends for a week

stop

2 of 3 noun

1

: cessation, end

his father put a stop to the arguing

2

a

: a series of similar organ pipes that vary by pitch but have the same tone quality

b

: stop knob

—often used in phrases like pull out all the stops to suggest holding nothing back

3

: something that delays, blocks, or brings to a halt : impediment, obstacle

4

: a device for halting or limiting motion

the door was held open by a stop

5

: the act of stopping : the state of being stopped

the train was brought to a sudden stop

6

: a halt in a journey : stay

made a quick stop to refuel

7

: a stopping place

a bus stop

8

chiefly British : any of several punctuation marks

9

: a consonant in the uttering of which there is a step (as in the "p" of "apt" or the "g" of "tiger") when the breath passage is completely closed

10

: a function of an electronic device that stops a recording

stop

3 of 3 adjective

: serving to stop : designed to stop

stop line

stop signal

Legal Definition

stop

1 of 2 verb

stopped; stopping

transitive verb

1

: to cause to halt

stopped payment

2

: to subject to a legal stop

intransitive verb

: to cease activity or motion

stop

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of stopping

specifically : a temporary detention that constitutes a limited seizure of a person for the purpose of inquiry or investigation and that must be based on reasonable suspicion see also terry stop compare arrest