Definition 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.
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“Stop short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stop%20short. Accessed 24 May. 2022.
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