SINCE 1828
stop short
idiomDefinition of stop short
: 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.
Comments on stop short
What made you want to look up stop short? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Word Puzzles
-
- Which answer pairs best with each of the following words? living, estate, club, music, road, mile
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Word Puzzles
Challenge yourself with these word puzzles. Can you solve them all?
Take the quiz -
Where in the World? A Quiz
Do you know what languages these words come from?
Take the quiz -
Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz -
Syn City
Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
Share stop short
Resources for stop short