Synonyms of halts

halts 1 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of halt

1

as in stops

to bring (something) to a standstill

traffic was halted by the parade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• stalls
• catches
• arrests
• blocks
• hinders
• stays
• checks
• suspends
• impedes
• obstructs
• holds
• ends
• pulls up
• brings up
• terminates
• stills
• concludes
• draws up
• detains
• stems
• balks
• holds up
• suppresses
• snags
• fetches up
• clogs
• discontinues
• baffles
• holds back
• calls
• blockades
• cuts off
• dams
• represses
• bottlenecks
• turns back
• reins (in)
• squashes
• squelches
• stunts
• chokes off
• stanches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• keeps (on)
• moves
• progresses
• proceeds
• advances
• follows through (with)
• carries on
• runs on
• marches
• keeps up
• fares
• pushes
• propels
• goes along
• drives
• spurs
• stirs
• impels
• wends
• actuates
• goads
• budges

2

as in ceases

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end

the private eye abruptly halted his surveillance of the building upon being spotted by his subject

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• ceases
• ends
• quits
• suspends
• drops
• delays
• discontinues
• concludes
• breaks
• finishes
• packs (up or in)
• completes
• cuts off
• has done with
• shuts off
• breaks off
• leaves off
• cuts out
• lays off
• desists (from)
• gives over
• checks
• knocks off
• breaks up
• pauses
• blocks
• hinders
• obstructs
• impedes
• suppresses
• cans
• deactivates
• aborts
• closes (down)
• puts the kibosh on
• holds
• detains
• stays
• destroys
• abolishes
• stems
• ruins
• scuttles
• calls
• arrests
• squelches
• dissolves
• brakes
• kills
• demolishes
• stamps
• holds back
• turns back
• squashes
• annuls
• reins (in)
• clamps down
• blockades
• dams
• snuffs
• stunts
• kiboshes
• stanches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• progresses
• proceeds
• advances
• carries on
• runs on
• drives
• follows through (with)
• stirs
• keeps up
• impels
• propels
• actuates

3

as in ends

to come to an end

all filming halted when the star of the movie quit in a huff

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• ceases
• ends
• expires
• concludes
• terminates
• passes
• closes
• dies
• finishes
• goes
• determines
• discontinues
• elapses
• lapses
• stalls
• quits
• winds up
• breaks off
• leaves off
• winks (out)
• breaks up
• suspends
• lets up
• pauses
• dead-ends
• bites the dust
• stays
• packs (up or in)
• refrains (from)
• abates
• breaks down
• cuts out
• desists (from)
• gives over
• lays off (of)
• knocks off
• winds down
• conks (out)
• peters (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• hangs on
• extends
• prolongs
• draws out
• protracts

halts

2 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of halt

1

as in limps

to walk while favoring one leg

even with her twisted ankle, she managed to halt along and complete her Walk for Peace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• limps
• hobbles
• shuffles
• stumbles
• falters
• staggers
• lurches
• wavers
• totters
• flounders
• hitches
• teeters
• wobbles
• blunders
• shambles
• dodders

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strides
• glides
• sails
• breezes

2

as in hesitates

to show uncertainty about the right course of action

she was often confused, halting between the responsibilities of her job and the demands of her home life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitates
• falters
• waits
• staggers
• wavers
• vacillates
• dithers
• pauses
• teeters
• balances
• debates
• hangs back
• lingers
• wobbles
• scruples
• sways
• ponders
• delays
• dawdles
• procrastinates
• deliberates
• shilly-shallies
• weighs
• chickens (out)
• haws
• backs down
• considers
• oscillates
• hems
• dallies
• equivocates
• hedges
• waffles
• pussyfoots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decides
• plunges (in)
• continues
• dives (in)
• stirs
• advances
• budges

halts

3 of 3

noun

plural of halt

1

as in jams

a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in

negotiations are at a halt, with neither management nor the union budging on the issue of salary limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jams
• deadlocks
• standstills
• binds
• predicaments
• impasses
• gridlocks
• dilemmas
• stalemates
• logjams
• problems
• standoffs
• pickles
• holes
• bottlenecks
• Mexican standoffs
• fixes
• dead ends
• pinches
• plights
• corners
• difficulties
• morasses
• spots
• quagmires
• quandaries

2

as in cessations

the stopping of a process or activity

gardening came to a halt during the week of solid rain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cessations
• endings
• ends
• closes
• stops
• ceases
• closures
• conclusions
• shutdowns
• finishes
• stays
• stoppages
• arrests
• discontinuances
• terminations
• offsets
• pauses
• lapses
• shutoffs
• discontinuations
• expirations
• cutoffs
• checks
• closedowns
• surceases
• arrestments
• interruptions
• suspensions
• phaseouts
• breaks
• standstills
• moratoriums
• layoffs
• mop-ups
• abeyances
• letups

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continuations
• continuances
• extensions
• prolongations
• persistences

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of halts

Verb

The council voted unanimously on the ordinance, which halts new oil and gas drilling in the city and phases out existing production over the next 20 years. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

The Bears go three-and-out, and the wind halts the ensuing punt, landing at the 15-yard line. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026

The court's decision halts the effort for now, leaving BARC open while the legal challenge continues. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

This natural inversion destroys leadership, fractures relationships and halts self-improvement. — Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Nothing halts a celebration faster than having a bottle of wine to open but only having a broken wine opener or none at all. — Mariette Williams, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2026

The ruling halts plans by the Department of Homeland Security to place a four-year cap on the kinds of visas used by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers while a judge hears full arguments in a lawsuit over the new policy. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026

Boone’s Tyler Dicko halts a promising Jones drive with an interception near the 30 as Jones’ Peyton Carroll scrambled out of the pocket searching for a receiver. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Noun

Seko nonetheless expects temporary gate suspensions and pilotage halts for Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen and Fuzhou from Friday night through Monday, with intermittent pilotage suspensions at Yangshan across the same window. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

That was March 2020, when the CEOs of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler tried to coordinate production halts over Covid-19 fears, only to be warned by their lawyers that doing so could violate antitrust rules. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The automatic stay halts proceedings but doesn't compel creditors to undo pre-petition filings without operative effect. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Since prolonged production halts can cause permanent damage to oil wells, shutting them down is typically a last resort. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 June 2026

In practice the printer ran for about 3 months (including setup and halts), whereas a traditional cast bridge might have taken 3–4 times longer. — Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026

Former leaders warn that the loss of institutional knowledge, combined with halts to the incoming pipeline of public health workers, may lead to a long-term crisis. — Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026

Automotive industry analysts are forecasting that another microchip shortage could hit in the coming months, which could increase risks for production halts as costs skyrocket. — Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Nerves of an energy crisis intensified over the weekend as oil producers in the Gulf announced further halts to production, with Bahrain’s national oil company declaring force majeure. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026