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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

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!
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to end something or cause it to end
  • stopStop pulling your brother's hair this instant!
  • quitQuit poking your sister, will you?
  • haltWe halted the assembly line to check the equipment.
  • discontinueThe lab has discontinued this line of research due to ethical concerns.
  • ceaseAll operations at the company will cease, and the assets will be auctioned off.
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stop with something
to stop doing, using, or having something, especially something annoying or not wanted:
Stop with the childish games - this is serious!
I'm not going there again until they stop with the ridiculous prices.
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:
stop at 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:
They sent me an email confirming that they had stopped the cheque.
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More examplesFewer examples
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?
stop in I've been out every night this week, so I thought I'd stop in (= stay at home) tonight.
stop up We stopped up (= did not go to bed) until two o'clock last night watching the late film.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Staying and remaining
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stop verb (BLOCK)

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

[ T ]
to beat an opponent in a boxing match because the referee decides that your opponent cannot continue because they are injured or have been knocked down too many times:
He retained his WBA title after stopping the American in the ninth round.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Fighting sports
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stop verb (MUSIC)

[ T ]   music   specialized
If you stop a string on a musical instrument, you put your finger on it to change the sound:
A violin has no frets to stop the strings.
Bowing or plucking an open string gives a different sound from a stopped string.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Musical instruments
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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/

stop noun [C] (NOT CONTINUING)

B1
the act of stopping an activity or journey, or a period of time when you stop:
come to a 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.
stop and starts 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:
bus stop They waited at the bus stop, shivering with cold.
I'm getting off at the next stop.
Is this our stop (= where we must get off)?
 
Carola Kohler/Corbis/GettyImages
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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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Pauses & interludes
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

stop noun [C] (LANGUAGE)

UK
short form of full stop UK
phonetics   specialized
a plosive (= consonant that is made by completely stopping the flow of air)
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Punctuation
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stop noun [C] (MUSIC)

music   specialized
on an organ (= a large musical instrument with a keyboard and pipes), one of the small, round objects on the side of the instrument that you push or pull to control the sound that comes out:
He drew on the full resources of the organ's keyboards, stops, and pedals.
There's a very low stop on the organ called a 32-foot sub bass.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Musical instruments
See more results »
(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)

Add to word list Add to word list
[ 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 Marathi
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in Urdu
in Ukrainian
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in Telugu
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in Italian
थांबवणे, बंद पडणे, सोडणे…
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～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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நீங்கள் செய்து கொண்டிருந்த ஒன்றைச் செய்து முடிக்க, தொடர்ந்து செயல்படக்கூடாது, இனி நகரக்கூடாது அல்லது யாரையாவது அல்லது எதையாவது இனி நகர்த்தக்கூடாது…
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रोकना, बंद करना, काम बंद करना…
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બંધ કરવું, રોકવું, કામ કરતું બંધ થઈ જવું…
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stoppe, standse, holde op…
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stanna, stoppa, hejda…
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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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کسی کام کر کرنے سےرکنا, روکنا, بند کرنا…
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зупиняти(ся), зупиняти, стримувати…
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прекращать, останавливаться, делать остановку…
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ఆపు/ఆగు, ఆగిపోవడం, ఆగడం…
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يَتَوَقَّف, يَتوقّف, يوقِف…
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থামা, আপনি যা করছেন তা শেষ করতে, কাজ করা বন্ধ হয়ে যাওয়া…
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zastavit (se), zabránit, přestat…
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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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멈추다, 서다, 잠시 멈추다…
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fermarsi, smettere, (far) fermare…
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stoop ball
stoop to something phrasal verb
stooped
stooping
stop
stop (dead) in your tracks idiom
stop a cheque phrase
stop and search
stop at nothing idiom

Word of the Day

pluck

UK
/plʌk/
US
/plʌk/

to pull and then release the strings of a musical instrument with your finger to play notes

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