STEMS Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

stems

verb

present tense third-person singular of stem

as in ends

to stop the progress or spread of (something) efforts to stem the dramatic decline of an endangered species

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stems Snip mint stems right above the leaf node, according to Luay Ghafari, gardening consultant and author of the book Seed to Table. — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 14 Sep. 2026 For fuller-looking plants, pot several rooted stems together in a single container. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Sep. 2026 Notable Much of the community-level pushback to data centers stems not only from energy concerns, but from mistrust of large corporations and a fear that small towns will get a bad deal, journalist Jasmine Sun wrote last month. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 11 Sep. 2026 First, the recent surge in European inflation stems largely from supply-side energy factors. — CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026 Simply remove only the oldest stems that are no longer productive. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026 Critics have said the size of the gap stems in large part from Connecticut’s lack of investment in special education, which is meant to reduce those disparities as much as possible. — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026 The affordability issue stems more from the fact that wages have not kept pace with cost of living increases over those 20 years. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The misconception stems in part from how psychiatric medication is discussed publicly. — Rachel Docekal, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stems

Verb

When a relationship ends, language is as much of a casualty as love.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Aikman’s five-year, $90 million contract with ESPN ends after the Super Bowl.

— Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of ends

Verb

Fat actually delays gastric emptying and digestion even more, keeping blood sugar much steadier.

— Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026
Tennis has always been highly dependent on the weather; unlike in soccer or football, rain cancels or delays a match until the court is dry enough to be playable.

— Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

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

Definition of halts

Verb

Her cause of death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery, the BBC reported.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Comfort, breathability, and packability are just a few of the boxes checked by this bamboo-viscose hoodie that blocks 95 percent of the sun’s UV rays (and comes in women’s sizes).

— Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of blocks

Verb

But he’s intrigued enough to take the file from Emma anyway and quickly concludes, along with River, that Loy did not break his own arm and then barbecue himself making marshmallows.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
The move comes at the start of the Fed's two-day policy meeting, with markets pricing in higher chances of a quarter-point rate hike when the meeting concludes Wednesday after August inflation remained well above the central bank's 2% target.

— Lee Ying Shan,Sean Conlon, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of concludes

Browse Nearby Words

stemming

stems

stench

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stems.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stems. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stems

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes