Search results for 'stop':

stop verb (stopped, stopping) 1 tr & intr to bring or come to rest, a standstill or an end; to cease or cause to cease moving, operating or progressing. 2 to prevent. 3 to withhold or keep something back. 4 to block, plug or close something. 5 to deduct (money) from wages. 6 to instruct a bank not to honour (a cheque). 7 intrans, colloq to stay or reside temporarily • stopped the night with friends. 8 music to adjust the vibrating length of (a string) by pressing down with a finger. 9 slang to receive (a blow). noun 1 an act of stopping. 2 a regular stopping place, eg on a bus route. 3 the state of being stopped; a standstill. 4 a device that prevents further movement • a door stop. 5 a temporary stay, especially when it is en route for somewhere else. 6 a shortened form of full stop. 7 a a set of organ pipes that have a uniform tone; b a knob that allows the pipes to be brought into and out of use; c a similar device on a harpsichord. 8 (also f-stop) any of a graded series of sizes that a camera's aperture can be adjusted to. 9 phonetics any consonantal sound that is made by the sudden release of air that has built up behind the lips, teeth, tongue, etc, eg the plosives and the affricates of English. stoppable adj. stopping noun. stopless adj. pull out all the stops to try one's best. put a stop to something to cause it to end, especially abruptly. stop at nothing to be prepared to do anything, no matter how unscrupulous, in order to achieve an aim, outcome, etc. stop the show to be a great success. See also show-stopper.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon stoppian.