Meaning of stop in English

stop
verb
uk
/stɒp/ us
/stɑːp/
-pp-

stop verb (FINISH)

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A1 [ I or T ]
to finish doing something that you were doing:
Once I start eating chocolate, I can't stop.
[ + -ing verb ] Stop shouting - you're giving me a headache!
I couldn't stop laughing.
Stop it!/Stop that!
B1 [ I or T ]
to not continue to operate:
My watch must have stopped.
The air conditioner has stopped working.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to break down
  • break downThe lift has broken down again.
  • stop workingI don’t understand it - my phone just stopped working.
  • crashWhen a computer crashes, you reboot.
  • failThe train’s brakes failed, causing it to derail.
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B1 [ I or T ]
to not move any more or to make someone or something not move any more:
Stop the car, I want to get out!
I heard him shout, "Stop, or I'll shoot!"
A1 [ I + -ing verb ]
to finish doing something that you do regularly or as a habit:
Apparently she's stopped drinking.
I stopped seeing him last year.
A2 [ I ]
to pause for a short time while travelling or during an activity:
Does this train stop at Finsbury Park?
Why don't you just stop somewhere and ask for directions?
[ + to infinitive ] I stopped to pick up a letter that I'd dropped.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Causing something to end
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stop verb (PREVENT)

B1 [ T ]
to prevent someone from doing something:
If she really wants to leave, I don't understand what's stopping her.
[ + -ing verb ] They've put barriers up to stop people (from) getting through.
Something must be done to stop the fighting.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to prevent something from happening
  • preventVaccination will prevent the spread of the disease.
  • avoidLabel the boxes to avoid confusion.
  • stopThis should stop any further trouble.
  • avertWe had to act quickly to avert disaster.
  • prohibitBehavioural problems in the classroom prohibit learning.
  • checkChildren are being vaccinated in an attempt to check the spread of the disease.
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 stop a cheque UK (US stop a check, stop payment on a check)
to tell your bank not to deal with a cheque that you have written, so that the money is not paid from your bank account
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Preventing and impeding
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stop verb (STAY)

[ I ] UK
to stay in a place:
Are you coming with me or are you stopping here?
I can't stop - Marc is waiting for me outside.
Now that you're here, why don't you stop for some tea?
I've been out every night this week, so I thought I'd stop in (= stay at home) tonight.
We stopped up (= did not go to bed) until two o'clock last night watching the late film.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Staying and remaining
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stop verb (BLOCK)

[ T ]
to block a hole:
We stopped (up) the gap with some rags.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Closing and blocking
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Grammar

Stop + -ing form or to-infinitive
We use the -ing form after stop to indicate that an action or event is no longer continuing: …

Idioms

stop at nothing
stop short of something

Phrasal verbs

stop by (somewhere)
stop in
stop off somewhere
stop over
stop
noun [ C ]
uk
/stɒp/ us
/stɑːp/
B1
the act of stopping an activity or journey, or a period of time when you stop:
Please remain in your seat until the plane comes to a complete stop.
We'd have been here sooner, but we made several stops along the way.
At the beginning of the project there were a lot of stops and starts.
See also
doorstop
A1
a place where vehicles, especially buses, stop in order to allow passengers to get off and on:
a bus stop
I'm getting off at the next stop.
Is this our stop (= where we must get off)?
 
Carola Kohler/Corbis/GettyImages
UK
short form of full stop UK
phonetics   specialized
a plosive (= consonant that is made by completely stopping the flow of air)
 put a stop to something
C1
to stop an unpleasant, unwanted activity or habit from continuing:
He used to smoke in bed when I first got to know him, but I soon put a stop to that!
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Pauses & interludes
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(Definition of stop from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

stop | American Dictionary

stop
verb
us
/stɑp/
-pp-

stop verb (FINISH)

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[ I/T ]
to finish doing something or end, or to cause someone or something to finish:
[ I ] When do you think the snow will stop?
[ T ] When will it stop snowing?
[ T ] Please stop pushing.
[ T ] Fortunately, police stopped the fight before anyone got hurt.

stop verb (PREVENT)

[ T ]
to prevent someone from doing something:
Lifeguards stopped them from going into the water because sharks had been spotted in the area.

stop verb (PAUSE)

[ I/T ]
to pause or stay in a place, or cause someone to pause:
[ I ] We stopped for gas and had something to eat.
[ + to infinitive ] We’d better stop at the next rest area to let the kids go to the bathroom.
[ T ] Naomi was stopped at the gate and asked to show identification.

Idioms

stop on a dime
stop (dead) in your tracks

Phrasal verbs

stop by/in/off
stop over
stop
noun [ C ]
us
/stɑp/

stop noun [C] (SHORT STAY)

a short period of time when you stay at a place, or the place where you stay:
It was a five-hour drive including a 30-minute stop for lunch.
A stop is a place where a bus or train pauses to allow passengers to get off and on:
I’m getting off at the next stop.

stop noun [C] (FINISH)

the act of stopping an activity, or the state in which someone or something is not moving or active anymore:
Please wait until the plane comes to a complete stop before leaving your seat.
(Definition of stop from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

stop | Business English

stop
verb
uk
/stɒp/ us
-pp-
Add to word list Add to word list
[ I or T ]
to prevent something from happening or continuing, or to not continue to happen:
Are these new environmental laws enough to stop climate change?
The government demanded that the payments stop.
stop production/publication/trading The board obtained an injunction to stop publication of the documents.
stop sb (from) doing sth To stop borrowers switching to another lender once the discount period is over, banks apply a hefty charge.
[ T ]
to finish doing something:
The company's flexible pension plan allows women to suspend contributions if they stop work to have a family.
stop doing sth The economic climate pressured banks to stop lending to each other.
[ I or T ]
if something such as a machine or system stops, it no longer works and needs to be repaired:
I didn't realize the time because my watch has stopped.
My TV came with a free radio which has stopped working.
 stop a cheque UK ( US stop payment on a check)
BANKING
to tell your bank not to pay the money relating to a cheque you have written to someone

Phrasal verbs

stop by
stop off
stop over
stop
noun [ S ]
  BANKING
uk
/stɒp/ us
an instruction to a bank or other financial organization to not pay any money from your account when a cheque, card, etc. is used:
Banks do not normally charge for putting a stop on lost cheques.
 come to a stop
to stop happening:
At one point mail deliveries just came to a stop.
 put a stop to sth
to stop something bad from happening or continuing:
EU regulation has put a stop to huge roaming charges when you use your mobile phone abroad.

See also

non-stop
one-stop
(Definition of stop from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
What is the pronunciation of stop?
 

Translations of stop

in Chinese (Traditional)
完成, （使）停止, （使）停下…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
完成, （使）停止, （使）停下…
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in Spanish
parar, dejar de, pararse…
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in Portuguese
parar, deixar, impedir…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Arabic
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Ukrainian
in Italian
in Russian
～をやめる, （乗り物が）停車する, 立ち止まる…
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durmak, bırakmak, bitirmek…
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arrêter, cesser, empêcher…
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parar, deixar de, aturar(-se)…
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stoppen, tegenhouden, ophouden…
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يَتَوَقَّف, يَتوقّف, يوقِف…
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zastavit (se), zabránit, přestat…
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stoppe, standse, holde op…
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menghentikan, mencegah, berhenti…
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หยุด, ระงับ, เลิก…
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dừng, ngừng lại, chặn…
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przestawać, zatrzymywać się, zatrzymywać (się)…
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berhenti, halang, tutup…
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anhalten, zurückhalten, aufhören…
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stoppe, stanse, slutte…
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멈추다, 서다, 잠시 멈추다…
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зупиняти(ся), зупиняти, стримувати…
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fermarsi, smettere, (far) fermare…
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прекращать, останавливаться, делать остановку…
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stoop ball
stoop to something
stooped
stooping
stop
stop (dead) in your tracks idiom
stop and search
stop at nothing idiom
stop by (somewhere)

Word of the Day

longitude

UK
/ˈlɒŋ.ɡɪ.tʃuːd/
US
/ˈlɑːn.dʒə.tuːd/

the distance of a place east or west of an imaginary line between the North Pole and the South Pole, measured in degrees

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