stɔp v. & n. --v. (stopped, stopping) 1 tr. a put an
end to (motion etc.); completely check
the progress or
motion or
operation of. b effectively hinder or
prevent (stopped
them playing so loudly). c
discontinue (an
action or
sequence of actions) (stopped playing; stopped my visits). 2 intr.
come to an end;
cease (supplies suddenly stopped). 3 intr. cease
from motion or
speaking or action;
make a halt or
pause (the
car stopped at the
lights; he stopped in the
middle of a
sentence; my
watch has stopped). 4 tr.
cause to cease action;
defeat. 5 tr. sl.
receive (a blow etc.). 6 intr.
remain; stay
for a
short time. 7 tr. (often foll. by up)
block or close up (a
hole or
leak etc.). 8 tr.
not permit or supply as
usual; discontinue or
withhold (shall stop
their wages). 9 tr. (in full stop
payment of or on)
instruct a bank to withhold payment on (a cheque). 10 tr.
Brit. put a
filling in (a tooth). 11 tr.
obtain the required pitch from (the
string of a
violin etc.) by
pressing at the
appropriate point with the
finger. 12 tr.
plug the upper end of (an organ-pipe), giving a
note an
octave lower. 13 tr. Bridge be
able to prevent opponents from
taking all the tricks in (a suit). 14 tr. make (a sound)
inaudible. 15 tr.
Boxing a
parry (a blow). b
knock out (an opponent). 16 tr. Hort.
pinch back (a plant). 17 tr. make (a clock,
factory, etc.) cease
working. 18 tr. Brit.
provide with
punctuation. 19 tr. Naut. make fast;
stopper (a
cable etc.). --n. 1 the
act or an
instance of
stopping; the
state of
being stopped (put a stop
to; the
vehicle was brought to a stop). 2 a
place designated for a
bus or
train etc. to stop. 3 a punctuation mark,
esp. = full stop (see FULL(1)). 4 a
device for stopping motion at a
particular point. 5 a
change of pitch effected by stopping a string. 6 a (in an organ) a row of pipes of
one character. b a
knob etc. operating
these. 7 a
manner of
speech adopted to
produce a particular
effect. 8
Optics & Photog. =
DIAPHRAGM 3. 9 a the
effective diameter of a
lens. b a device for reducing
this. c a
unit of change of
relative aperture or
exposure (with a
reduction of one stop
equivalent to halving it). 10 (of sound) =
PLOSIVE. 11 (in telegrams etc.) a full stop (see FULL(1)). 12 Bridge a card or cards stopping a
suit. 13 Naut. a
small line used as a
lashing. øput a stop to cause to end, esp. abruptly. stop at
nothing be
ruthless. stop by (also absol.)
call at (a place). stop
dead (or short) cease abruptly. stop down Photog.
reduce the aperture of (a lens) with a diaphragm. stop-drill a drill with a
shoulder limiting the
depth of penetration. stop one's ears 1 put one's fingers in one's ears to
avoid hearing. 2 refuse to
listen. stop a
gap serve to meet a
temporary need. stop-go 1
alternate stopping
and restarting of progress. 2 Brit. the alternate
restriction and stimulation of
economic demand. stop-knob a knob controlling an
organ stop. stop
lamp a
light on the rear of a vehicle
showing when the brakes are
applied. stop light 1 a
red traffic-light. 2 = stop lamp. stop a person's
mouth induce a
person by bribery or
other means to
keep silence about something. stop
off (or over) break one's
journey. stop out 1 stay out. 2
cover (part of an area) to prevent
printing,
etching, etc. stop payment
declare oneself insolvent. stop press Brit. 1 (often attrib.)
late news inserted in a
newspaper after printing has
begun. 2 a
column in a newspaper
reserved for this. stop
valve a valve closing a
pipe against the passage of
liquid. stop-volley (esp. in lawn tennis) a
checked volley close to the
net, dropping the ball dead on the other
side. with all the stops out exerting
extreme effort. øøstopless adj. stoppable adj. [ME f. OE -stoppian f. LL stuppare
STUFF: see ESTOP]