stopped; stopping
1
a
: to close by filling or obstructing
b
: to hinder or prevent the passage of
c
: to get in the way of : be wounded or killed by
easy to stop a bullet along a lonely … road—
Harvey Fergusson
Harvey Fergusson2
3
4
b
5
a
: to deduct or withhold (a sum due)
b
: to instruct one's bank to refuse (payment) or refuse payment of (something, such as a check)
6
7
a
: to change the pitch of (something, such as a violin string) by pressing with the finger
b
: to change the pitch of (a wind instrument) by closing one or more finger holes or by thrusting the hand or a mute into the bell
8
: to hold an honor card and enough protecting cards to be able to block (a bridge suit) before an opponent can run many tricks
1
4
: to become choked : clog
the sink often stops up
2
a(1)
: a graduated set of organ pipes of similar design and tone quality
(2)
: a corresponding set of vibrators or reeds of a reed organ
(3)
: stop knob
—often used figuratively in phrases like pull out all the stops to suggest holding nothing back
b
: a means of regulating the pitch of a musical instrument
3
a
: something that impedes, obstructs, or brings to a halt : impediment, obstacle
b
: the aperture of a camera lens
also
: a marking of a series (as of f-numbers) on a camera for indicating settings of the diaphragm
c
: a drain plug : stopper
4
: a device for arresting or limiting motion
6
a
: a halt in a journey : stay
made a brief stop to refuel
b
: a stopping place
a bus stop
7
a
chiefly British
: any of several punctuation marks
b
—used in telegrams and cables to indicate a period
c
: a pause or break in a verse that marks the end of a grammatical unit
8
a
: an order stopping payment (as of a check or note) by a bank
b
9
: a consonant characterized by complete closure of the breath passage in the course of articulation compare continuant
10
: a depression in the face of an animal at the junction of forehead and muzzle
11
: a function of an electronic device that stops a recording
: serving to stop : designed to stop
stop line
stop signal
Synonyms
Examples of stop in a Sentence
Verb
She was walking toward me, and then she suddenly stopped.
The bus stopped at the corner.
He stopped to watch the sun set.
He stopped to pick up a penny.
The car was going so fast that it couldn't stop in time.
The traffic light turned red, so she had to stop.
Stop that man! He stole my wallet.
They stopped us at the border to check our passports.
She stopped the car and turned back.
He was stopped by the police for speeding.
Noun
His first stop will be Washington, D.C.
Our first stop has to be the gas station.
I need to make a stop at the grocery store on the way home.
The next stop is Main Street and Tower Square.
I'm getting off at the next stop.
Slow down as you approach the stop.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebGerry Shih, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
The writers guild stopped picketing Sunday night after the tentative deal was announced.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
Spruce hasn’t responded to requests to stop sending him collection notices; Cummings has now filed a suit in California Superior Court accusing Spruce of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 26 Sep. 2023
After a short pursuit, one of them stopped near Lake Jennings Road in Lakeside.
—David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2023
Likewise, therapists at HRTC don’t compel people to stop using drugs or alcohol completely.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023
The time has come to do some work on your self-esteem, my friend, and stop comparing yourself to others.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023
Fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy actress couldn't stop themselves from gushing over her style when photos of the boho chic look finally hit social media on September 1.
—Annie O’Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2023
Advertisement If an investigation reveals that a water supplier has been taking more water than it is entitled to, the State Water Board can use its enforcement powers to make that stop.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
Judge drops charges against Philadelphia officer who shot driver during stop
Sept. 26, 202302:52
Pew ruled there was not enough evidence to go to trial.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
On the Kansas City stop of this tour, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce attempted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but never got the chance.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
Fashion alone has been altered irrevocably: Beyoncé’s custom looks for each concert are chronicled in all their intricate splendor on her Instagram, and her label Parkwood has been posting the fans in kind, showcasing their gorgeous outfit photos from each tour stop.
—Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 26 Sep. 2023
Kelce made the first attempt at contacting Swift, reaching out at her tour’s KC stop and trying to give her his number.
—Vulture, 24 Sep. 2023
With September being National Potato Month, there’s no better way to celebrate the root vegetable than by eating your way through the 19 stops of the Boise Potato Trail.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
The subway rumbled toward its final stop north of Seoul.
—Victoria Kim Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Maybe the most important stop was a third-down sack of Cal quarterback Sam Jackson V in the fourth quarter, which led to the final of the three missed field goals.
—Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
Rosy Cordero, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2021
The non-stop buzz, the magazine articles, the red-carpet interviews.
—Ellis Rosen, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2023
Beginning in July, Southwest Airlines is adding non-stop service to Las Vegas on Sundays, to complement the current Saturday service.
—William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 30 Mar. 2023
From the moment that ChatGPT was released into the wild, it’s been a non-stop stream of new products, features and announcements all across tech.
—Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The three-time world champion’s path to victory was a non-stop dogfight between some of the most legendary dragsters in NHRA history.
—Cole Cusumano, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2023
For five days straight, millions of people flock to the bustling, South American treasure for non-stop celebrations of community, and freedom—and after a brief hiatus following the COVID pandemic—hopefulness.
—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 24 Mar. 2023
While people around him acted as non-stop consumers, justifying their existence in this manner, Michael hardly ever went shopping.
—László F. Földényi, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
During the work week, Dave and Jenny have a non-stop schedule.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2023
See More
Verb
In 2005, as a local leader of the Bajrang Dal group, Suvarna had become known after stopping two Muslims transporting cows in a truck, stripping them naked and parading them before reporters while police looked on.
—Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
The writers guild stopped picketing Sunday night after the tentative deal was announced.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
Spruce hasn’t responded to requests to stop sending him collection notices; Cummings has now filed a suit in California Superior Court accusing Spruce of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 26 Sep. 2023
After a short pursuit, one of them stopped near Lake Jennings Road in Lakeside.
—David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2023
Likewise, therapists at HRTC don’t compel people to stop using drugs or alcohol completely.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023
The time has come to do some work on your self-esteem, my friend, and stop comparing yourself to others.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023
Fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy actress couldn't stop themselves from gushing over her style when photos of the boho chic look finally hit social media on September 1.
—Annie O’Sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2023
Advertisement If an investigation reveals that a water supplier has been taking more water than it is entitled to, the State Water Board can use its enforcement powers to make that stop.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Noun
The band made the announcement during Tuesday’s performance in Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center, the first stop of its Still ...
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
Judge drops charges against Philadelphia officer who shot driver during stop
Sept. 26, 202302:52
Pew ruled there was not enough evidence to go to trial.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
On the Kansas City stop of this tour, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce attempted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but never got the chance.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
Fashion alone has been altered irrevocably: Beyoncé’s custom looks for each concert are chronicled in all their intricate splendor on her Instagram, and her label Parkwood has been posting the fans in kind, showcasing their gorgeous outfit photos from each tour stop.
—Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 26 Sep. 2023
Kelce made the first attempt at contacting Swift, reaching out at her tour’s KC stop and trying to give her his number.
—Vulture, 24 Sep. 2023
With September being National Potato Month, there’s no better way to celebrate the root vegetable than by eating your way through the 19 stops of the Boise Potato Trail.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
The subway rumbled toward its final stop north of Seoul.
—Victoria Kim Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Maybe the most important stop was a third-down sack of Cal quarterback Sam Jackson V in the fourth quarter, which led to the final of the three missed field goals.
—Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
Adjective
After years of non-stop work, Maluma was tired.
—Rosy Cordero, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2021
The non-stop buzz, the magazine articles, the red-carpet interviews.
—Ellis Rosen, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2023
Beginning in July, Southwest Airlines is adding non-stop service to Las Vegas on Sundays, to complement the current Saturday service.
—William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 30 Mar. 2023
From the moment that ChatGPT was released into the wild, it’s been a non-stop stream of new products, features and announcements all across tech.
—Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The three-time world champion’s path to victory was a non-stop dogfight between some of the most legendary dragsters in NHRA history.
—Cole Cusumano, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2023
For five days straight, millions of people flock to the bustling, South American treasure for non-stop celebrations of community, and freedom—and after a brief hiatus following the COVID pandemic—hopefulness.
—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 24 Mar. 2023
While people around him acted as non-stop consumers, justifying their existence in this manner, Michael hardly ever went shopping.
—László F. Földényi, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
During the work week, Dave and Jenny have a non-stop schedule.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English stoppen, from Old English -stoppian, from Vulgar Latin *stuppare to stop with tow, from Latin stuppa tow, from Greek styppē
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1594, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of stop was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing stop
Articles Related to stop
Dictionary Entries Near stop
Cite this Entry
“Stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stop. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
stop
1 of 3 verb
stopped; stopping
1
: to close an opening by filling or blocking it : plug
nose stopped up by a cold
2
: restrain sense 1a, prevent
stopped me from going
3
: to interrupt or prevent from continuing or occurring : check
couldn't stop the noise
4
: to instruct one's bank not to pay
stop payment on a check
5
: to halt the movement or progress of
stop the car
6
: to change the pitch of (as a violin string) by pressing with the finger
7
a
: to bring action or operation to an end
the motor stopped
b
: to come to an end
sit down when the music stops
8
: to make a visit
stopping with friends for a week
stop
2 of 3 noun2
a
: a series of similar organ pipes that vary by pitch but have the same tone quality
b
: stop knob
—often used in phrases like pull out all the stops to suggest holding nothing back
3
: something that delays, blocks, or brings to a halt : impediment, obstacle
4
: a device for halting or limiting motion
the door was held open by a stop
5
: the act of stopping : the state of being stopped
the train was brought to a sudden stop
6
: a halt in a journey : stay
made a quick stop to refuel
7
: a stopping place
a bus stop
8
chiefly British
: any of several punctuation marks
9
: a consonant in the uttering of which there is a step (as in the "p" of "apt" or the "g" of "tiger") when the breath passage is completely closed
10
: a function of an electronic device that stops a recording
stop
3 of 3 adjective
: serving to stop : designed to stop
stop line
stop signal
Legal Definition
stop
1 of 2 verb
stopped; stopping
: to cease activity or motion
stop
2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of stopping
specifically
: a temporary detention that constitutes a limited seizure of a person for the purpose of inquiry or investigation and that must be based on reasonable suspicion see also terry stop compare arrest
More from Merriam-Webster on stop
Nglish: Translation of stop for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stop for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stop
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