ˈstäpij, -pēj noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from stoppen to stop + -age — more at stop
: the act of stopping or the state of being stopped
stoppage of hostile seaborne traffic — Walter Karig
practically immune from stoppages due to the weeds which infest so many of our waterways — Dick Gregson
as
a. : deduction from pay as a fine or to reimburse an employer for a sum due from an employee
b. : obstruction of an organ of the body
c. : the stopping, seizure, or detention of a person, public carrier, or goods in transit (as for examination for contraband)
d. : the act or an instance of stopping payment
e. : strike
negotiations have broken down in other industries, and stoppages are threatened — H.S.Truman
government seizure of the railroads … to forestall a nationwide stoppage — C.T.Lucey
f. : the complete obstruction of the breath passage or of the nonnasal part of it that is one stage in the production of some consonants — compare stop 9
g. : a failure of an automatic or semiautomatic firearm to extract or eject a spent case or to load or fire a new round