verb

stop

verb

To cease moving or to bring something to a halt.

"The bus stopped right outside the museum."

"Please stop the car, I think we're lost."

To cease doing something, or to prevent it from continuing.

"She stopped smoking two years ago."

"New regulations were introduced to stop the practice."

noun

A place where a bus, train, or other vehicle regularly halts to pick up or drop off passengers.

"Get off at the next stop and walk two blocks north."

How to Use Stop

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo bring something — motion, an action, a habit — to an end, or (as a noun) the place or point where that happens.

Common pairings

stop short come to a stop bus stop stop doing something

Word Forms

stopped past tense, stop plural, stopped plural, stops plural, stops plural, stops singular, stop singular, stopped singular, stoppest singular, stoppedst singular, stoppeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Please _____ the car, I think we're lost.

Etymology

From Old English stoppian ("to stop, close up"), a very old Germanic word related to Dutch stoppen and German stopfen, ultimately from a root meaning to push or plug something.

Synonyms

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desist halt cease discontinue terminate freeze cancel hang around linger loiter pause stop over

Antonyms

continue go move proceed accelerate set in motion

Related Words

abandon last increase accelerate kill finish begin activate

Rhymes for stop

top atop laptop desktop hilltop nonstop rooftop treetop shortstop mountaintop

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desist halt cease discontinue terminate freeze cancel hang around linger loiter pause stop over