stop short

idiom

: to stop or be stopped just before doing or reaching something

I had to slam on the brakes when the car in front of me stopped short.

He was about to say something, then stopped short.

—often + of

The boss said that she was unhappy with some employees, but she stopped short of naming which ones.

The running back was stopped short of the goal line.

Examples of stop short in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some drivers stop short, unsure of who should go first. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025

The market is holding this stance, though presumably Fed Chair Powell on Friday in Jackson Hole will stop short of fully endorsing any September move, not wishing to front-run another jobs report in early September. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025

The existing ecosystems provide excellent collection tools but stop short of day‑to‑day behavioral improvement support, while incumbents in healthcare focus on episodic care. —Praneeta Pujari, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Four further states have restrictions on conversion therapy but stop short of an outright ban. —Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for stop short

• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• deport
• distort
• escort
• exhort
• extort