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Added 5 October 2026

stop

/stɒp/ noun

In Latin: sistō, cessō, desino Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about stop at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ITU & IMO radiotelephony clear code (spelling-alphabet name) for full stop / period.

verb

To cease moving.
I stopped at the traffic lights.
Not to continue.
The riots stopped when police moved in.
To cause (something) to cease moving or progressing.
The sight of the armed men stopped him in his tracks.

noun

A (usually marked) place where buses, trams or trains halt to let passengers get on and off, usually smaller than a station.
Related terms: halt, station.
An action of stopping; interruption of travel.
That stop was not planned.
That which stops, impedes, or obstructs; an obstacle; an impediment.

punctuation mark

Used to indicate the end of a sentence in a telegram.

Origin

From Middle English stoppen, stoppien, from Old English stoppian (“to stop, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic *stuppōną (“to stop, close”), *stuppijaną (“to push, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-, *(s)tewb- (“to push; stick”), from *(s)tew- (“to bump; impact; butt; push; beat; strike; hit”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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