stop short

phrase

: 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

The recommendations, released this week, stop short of calling for an extension of the moratorium, which is set to end January 1, 2027. — Brian Carlton, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2026

After suffering a 3-0 defeat against Spain in the Round of 32, Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick didn’t stop short in his praise of his opponents. — Damian Calhoun, Oc Register, 9 July 2026

Artificial intelligence will dramatically change the nature of work, but stop short of replacing most employees, according to a recent analysis. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

There is also a deeper historical reason Beijing may have assumed Washington would stop short of striking the Chinese mainland. — Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for stop short

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