Collins English-English Dictionary

stop [stɒp]

1. 1. n [fencing] stop thrust a counterthrust made without a parry in the hope that one's blade will touch before one's opponent's blade

2. 2. n [phonetics] stop consonant any of a class of consonants articulated by first making a complete closure at some point of the vocal tract and then releasing it abruptly with audible plosion. Stops include the labials (p, b), the alveolars or dentals (t, d), the velars (k, g) - Compare continuant

3. 3. n null f-stop

4. 4. n [bridge] stopper a protecting card or winner in a suit in which one's opponents are strong

5. 5. vb to cease from doing or being (something); discontinue

   stop talking

6. 6. vb to cause (something moving) to halt or (of something moving) to come to a halt

   to stop a car

   the car stopped

7. 7. vt. [tr] to prevent the continuance or completion of

   to stop a show

8. 8. vt. [tr; often foll by from] to prevent or restrain

   to stop George from fighting

9. 9. vt. [tr] to keep back

   to stop supplies to the navy

10. 10. vt. [tr] to intercept or hinder in transit

    to stop a letter

11. 11. vt. [tr; often foll by up] to block or plug, esp so as to close

    to stop up a pipe

12. 12. vt. [tr; often foll by up] to fill a hole or opening in

    to stop up a wall

13. 13. vt. [tr] to staunch or stem

    to stop a wound

14. 14. vt. [tr] to instruct a bank not to honour (a cheque)

15. 15. vt. [tr] to deduct (money) from pay

16. 16. vt. [tr] [Brit] to provide with punctuation

17. 17. vt. [tr] [boxing] to beat (an opponent) either by a knockout or a technical knockout

18. 18. vt. [tr] [Spoken] to receive (a blow, hit, etc)

19. 19. vi. [intr] to stay or rest

    we stopped at the Robinsons' for three nights

20. 20. vt. [tr] [rare] to defeat, beat, or kill

21. 21. vt. [tr] [music] to alter the vibrating length of (a string on a violin, guitar, etc) by pressing down on it at some point with the finger

22. 22. vt. to alter the vibrating length of an air column in a wind instrument by closing (a finger hole, etc)

23. 23. vt. to produce (a note) in this manner

24. 24. vt. [tr] to place a hand inside (the bell of a French horn) to alter the tone colour and pitch or play (a note) on a French horn in such a manner

25. 25. vt. [bridge] to have a protecting card or winner in (a suit in which one's opponents are strong)

26. 26. n an arrest of movement or progress

27. 27. n the act of stopping or the state of being stopped

28. 28. n a place where something halts or pauses

    a bus stop

29. 29. n a stay in or as if in the course of a journey

30. 30. n the act or an instance of blocking or obstructing

31. 31. n a plug or stopper

32. 32. n a block, screw, or other device or object that prevents, limits, or terminates the motion of a mechanism or moving part

33. 33. n [Brit] a punctuation mark, esp a full stop

34. 34. n short for stop payment stop order

35. 35. n [music] the act of stopping the string, finger hole, etc, of an instrument

36. 36. n a set of organ pipes or harpsichord strings that may be allowed to sound as a group by muffling or silencing all other such sets

37. 37. n a knob, lever, or handle on an organ, etc, that is operated to allow sets of pipes to sound

38. 38. n an analogous device on a harpsichord or other instrument with variable registers, such as an electrophonic instrument

39. 39. n [Austral] a stud on a football boot

40. 40. n the angle between the forehead and muzzle of a dog or cat, regarded as a point in breeding

41. 41. n [nautical] a short length of line or small stuff used as a tie, esp for a furled sail

42. 42. n [photog] a setting of the aperture of a camera lens, calibrated to the corresponding f-number

43. 43. n another name for diaphragm

44. 44. n a block or carving used to complete the end of a moulding

45. 45. n See also stop down stop off stop out stopover stops

46. 46. n [Etymology] C14: from Old English stoppian (unattested), as in forstoppian to plug the ear, ultimately from Late Latin stuppare to stop with a tow, from Latin stuppa tow, from Greek stuppe