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

Written in the style of stream of consciousness, largely without full stops or capital letters, the novel does read like a narration in one breath, as if weaving an unbroken chain of thought that moves between past and present. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 May 2026

Before that, treatment options were CPAP machines, oral appliances and surgery, full stop. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 18 May 2026

The evidence that Latifi collects in Like, Follow, Subscribe could easily support the conclusion that family influencing is unethical, full stop. —Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026

And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for full stop

• atop
• backdrop
• backstop
• bebop
• blacktop
• bookshop
• clatsop
• desktop
• eavesdrop
• estop
• hardtop
• hilltop