/ stɒp; NAmE stɑːp/ verb , noun
■ verb
( -pp- )
NOT MOVE
1.
to no longer move; to make sb/sth no longer move :
[ v ]
The car stopped at the traffic lights.
We stopped for the night in Port Augusta.
[ vn ]
He was stopped by the police for speeding.
NOT CONTINUE
2.
to no longer continue to do sth; to make sb/sth no longer do sth :
[ v -ing ]
That phone never stops ringing!
Please stop crying and tell me what's wrong.
[ v ]
She criticizes everyone and the trouble is, she doesn't know when to stop .
Can't you just stop?
[ vn ]
Stop me (= make me stop talking) if I'm boring you.
Stop it! You're hurting me.
[ v wh- ]
Mike immediately stopped what he was doing.
HELP NOTE : Notice the difference between stop doing sth and stop to do sth :
We stopped taking pictures.
means 'We were no longer taking pictures.';
We stopped to take pictures.
means 'We stopped what we were doing so that we could start taking pictures.'
END
3.
to end or finish; to make sth end or finish :
[ v ]
When is this fighting going to stop?
The bus service stops at midnight.
[ v -ing ]
Has it stopped raining yet?
[ vn ]
Doctors couldn't stop the bleeding.
The referee was forced to stop the game because of heavy snow.
PREVENT
4.
stop sb/sth (from doing sth) | ( BrE also) stop sb/sth (doing sth) to prevent sb from doing sth; to prevent sth from happening :
[ vn ]
I want to go and you can't stop me.
We need more laws to stop pollution.
There's nothing to stop you from accepting the offer.
There's no stopping us now (= nothing can prevent us from achieving what we want to achieve) .
You can't stop people from saying what they think.
( BrE also) [ vn -ing ]
You can't stop people saying what they think.
FOR SHORT TIME
5.
[ v ] stop (for sth) | stop (to do sth) to end an activity for a short time in order to do sth :
I'm hungry. Let's stop for lunch.
We stopped to admire the scenery.
People just don't stop to think about the consequences.
HELP NOTE : In spoken English, stop can be used with and plus another verb, instead of with to and the infinitive, to show purpose:
He stopped and bought some flowers.
Let's stop and look at the map.
NOT FUNCTION
6.
to no longer work or function; to make sth no longer work or function :
[ v ]
Why has the engine stopped?
I felt as if my heart had stopped.
[ vn ]
I stopped the tape and pressed rewind.
STAY
7.
[ v ] stop (for sth) ( BrE , informal ) to stay somewhere for a short time, especially at sb's house :
I'm not stopping. I just came to give you this message.
Can you stop for tea?
MONEY
8.
[ vn ] stop sth (from sth) to prevent money from being paid :
to stop a cheque (= tell the bank not to pay it)
( BrE )
Dad threatened to stop £1 a week from our pocket money if we didn't clean our rooms.
CLOSE HOLE
9.
[ vn ] stop sth (up) (with sth) to block, fill or close a hole, an opening, etc. :
Stop up the other end of the tube, will you?
I stopped my ears but still heard her cry out.
•
IDIOMS
- stop at nothing
- stop the clock
- stop short | stop sb short
- stop short of sth / of doing sth
—more at buck noun , track noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- stop by (sth)
- stop in
- stop off (at / in ... )
- stop out
- stop over (at / in ... )
- stop up
■ noun
ACT OF STOPPING
1.
an act of stopping or stopping sth; the state of being stopped :
The trip included an overnight stop in Brussels.
She brought the car to a stop .
Work has temporarily come to a stop while the funding is reviewed.
It is time to put a stop to the violence.
Babies do not grow at a steady rate but in stops and starts .
—see also non-stop , whistle-stop
OF BUS / TRAIN
2.
a place where a bus or train stops regularly for passengers to get on or off :
I get off at the next stop.
Is this your stop?
—see also bus stop , pit stop , request stop
PUNCTUATION
3.
( BrE ) = full stop
MUSIC
4.
a row of pipes on an organ that produce the different sounds
5.
a handle on an organ that the player pushes in or pulls out to control the sound produced by the pipes
PHONETICS
6.
a speech sound made by stopping the flow of air coming out of the mouth and then suddenly releasing it, for example /p, k, t/
SYN plosive
—see also glottal stop
•
IDIOMS
see full stop , pull verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English (for)stoppian block up (an aperture) , of West Germanic origin; related to German stopfen , from late Latin stuppare to stuff.