stop

/stɒp/ verb (present participle stopping, past tense and past participle stopped)

Definition

FINISH [I, T] › to finish doing something that you were doing: [+ doing sth] Stop laughing - it's not funny. He started to say something and then stopped. I'm trying to work but I keep having to stop to answer the phone (= stop so that I can answer the telephone).

FOR A SHORT TIME [I] › to stop a journey or an activity for a short time: He stopped at a pub for lunch.

NOT OPERATE [I, T] › to not continue to operate, or to make something not continue to operate: My watch has stopped. Can you stop the video for a minute?

FINISH MOVING [I, T] › to not move any more, or make someone or something not move any more: A car stopped outside the house. I stopped someone in the street to ask for directions.

BUS/TRAIN [I] › If a bus, train, etc stops at a particular place, it pauses at that place so that people can get on and off: Does this train stop at Cambridge?

END [T] › to make something end: We must find a way to stop the war.

PREVENT [T] › to prevent something from happening or someone from doing something: [+ from + doing sth] Health workers are trying to stop the disease from spreading.

Stop it/that! › used to tell someone to finish doing something, usually something annoying: Stop it! I can't concentrate if you keep making a noise.

stop a cheque › UK (US stop a check) to prevent money from being paid from a cheque (= a piece of paper that you sign to pay for things) → See also stop at nothing → See also stop the rot

(Definition of stop verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)