stopper

1 of 2

noun

stop·​per ˈstä-pər 

1

: one that brings to a halt or causes to stop operating or functioning : check: such as

a

: a playing card that will stop the running of a suit

b

: a baseball pitcher depended on to win important games or to stop a losing streak

also : an effective relief pitcher

2

: one that closes, shuts, or fills up

specifically : something (such as a bung or cork) used to plug an opening

stopper

2 of 2

verb

stoppered; stoppering ˈstä-p(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to close or secure with or as if with a stopper

stopper the bottle

Examples of stopper in a Sentence

Noun

His comment was a conversation stopper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But Green’s advanced statistics sharply declined, with his box plus-minus painting him as only a slightly above-average stopper while being one of the worst offensive players in the league. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Williams took charge of his defense and became one of the top run stoppers in the area. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 28 July 2026

Verb

The Arctic waters where the ship was found have preserved it like it was stoppered in a bottle. — Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025

Absent from the two teams was Wolves’ perimeter stopper Jaden McDaniels. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1769, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stopper

• heart-stopper
• stopper knot
• traffic-stopper

Rhymes for stopper

• chopper
• copper
• cropper
• dropper
• pauper
• popper
• proper
• shopper
• topper
• whopper
• eavesdropper
• grasshopper

Kids Definition

stopper

1 of 2 noun

stop·​per ˈstäp-ər 

1

: one that brings to a halt : check

2

: one that closes, shuts, or fills up

especially : something used to plug an opening

stopper

2 of 2 verb

: to close or fasten with or as if with a stopper