stop (stŏp)

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[Middle English stoppen, from Old English -stoppian, probably from Vulgar Latin* stuppāre, to caulk, from Latin stuppa, tow, broken flax, from Greek stuppē.]

verb: stopped, stop·ping, stops. 

transitive verb 

1. To close (an opening or hole) by covering, filling in, or plugging up: The tea leaves stopped the drain.
2. To constrict (an opening or orifice): My nose is stopped up.
3. To obstruct or block passage on (a road, for example).
4. To prevent the flow or passage of: stop supplies from getting through.
5. 1. To halt the motion or progress of: stopped me and asked directions.
   2. To block or deflect (a blow, for example); parry or ward off.
   3. To be or get in the way of (a bullet or other missile); be killed or wounded by.
6. 1. To cause to desist or to change a course of action: stopped us from continuing the argument.
   2. To prevent or restrain: stopped him from going.
7. To discontinue or cease: He stopped his complaining.
8. 1. To defeat (an opponent or opposing team).
   2. To defeat in boxing by a knockout or technical knockout.
9. To order a bank to withhold payment of: stopped the check.
10. Music
    1. To press down (a string on a stringed instrument) on the fingerboard to produce a desired pitch.
    2. To close (a hole on a wind instrument) with the finger in sounding a desired pitch.

intransitive verb 

1. To cease moving, progressing, acting, or operating; come to a halt: The clock stopped in the night.
2. To put an end to what one is doing; cease: had to stop at an exciting place in the book.
3. To interrupt one's course or journey for a brief visit or stay. Often used with by, in, or off: stop by at a friend's house; stop in at the office; stop off at the gas station.

noun 

1. The act of stopping or the condition of being stopped; cessation.
2. A finish; an end.
3. A stay or visit, as one taken during a trip.
4. A place at which someone or something stops: a regular stop on my paper route; a bus stop.
5. A device or means that obstructs, blocks, or plugs up.
6. An order given to a bank to withhold payment on a check.
7. A part in a mechanism that stops or regulates movement.
8. The effective aperture of a lens, controlled by a diaphragm.
9. A mark of punctuation, especially a period.
10. Music
    1. The act of stopping a string or hole on an instrument.
    2. A fret on a stringed instrument.
    3. A hole on a wind instrument.
    4. A device such as a key for closing the hole on a wind instrument.
    5. A tuned set of pipes, as in an organ.
    6. A knob, key, or pull that regulates such a set of pipes.
11. Nautical A line used for securing something temporarily: a sail stop.
12. 1. Linguistics One of a set of speech sounds that is a plosive or a nasal.
    2. A plosive.
13. The depression between the muzzle and top of the skull of an animal, especially a dog.
14. Sports A save made by a goalie.
15. Games A stopper.
16. Architecture A projecting stone, often carved, at the end of a molding.

adjective 

Of, relating to, or being of use at the end of an operation or activity: a stop code.

phrasal verbs

stop down

To reduce (the aperture) of a lens.

stop out

To withdraw temporarily from college.

derivatives

stoṕpa·ble

adjective

synonyms:

stop, cease, desist, discontinue, halt¹quit These verbs mean to bring or come to an end: stop arguing; ceased crying; desist from complaining; discontinued the treatment; halting the convoy; quit laughing.
Antonym: start