STOPS Synonyms: 340 Similar and Opposite Words

stops 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stop

as in ceases

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the manufacturer will stop selling the toy and will immediately recall all the units that have already been sold

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in halts

to bring (something) to a standstill traffic was stopped for over an hour by the overturned truck

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as in fills

to close up so that no empty spaces remain I stopped the mouse hole with plaster

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as in ends

to come to an end the music stopped but we kept on dancing

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as in overcomes

to achieve a victory over they were eventually stopped by the best team in the league

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stops

2 of 2

noun

plural of stop

as in breaks

a brief halt in a journey our guide called for a stop at the trail hut so we could eat and rest a bit

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as in stations

a regular stopping place had lunch on a picnic table at a shady rest stop along the highway

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as in obstacles

something that makes movement or progress difficult pulled out all the stops and presented the most spectacular show ever

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as in cessations

the stopping of a process or activity put a stop to this nonsense

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stops

Verb

The metalpoint tool sometimes slips or skitters; the fountain pen sometimes stops working—though, deprived of vision, the artist is unaware, and keeps drawing the now-invisible line. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 There’s a tender, surprising moment of reconciliation in the novel’s final pages — the place where story stops. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Because the coating stops being an insulator when its breakdown threshold is reached, the charge rips through it in a miniature dielectric breakdown, the same failure mode that kills capacitors and transformer insulation. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 That means the question about whether this will be the year the country stops changing its clocks remains. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 When the math stops working Hampshire College shows what the extreme end of that squeeze can look like. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Armed with a handgun, Catherine goes upstairs into Jay’s secret room and finds Emma there, but Alice stops her from shooting. — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 And any designation touching a Chinese buyer would mark the moment the auction stops being quiet. — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Covering bare soil with mulch or plants stops ragweed seeds from germinating and taking over. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026

Noun

Riders can take the streetcar from any of its stops and get dropped off at Union Station, which is where one of the entrance gates to the festival is located. — Joseph Hernandez august 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026 Encore, encore Several artists return for another trip on their current treks after successful initial stops. — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 Finally, regional press ahead of specific tour stops has been light relative to the scale of the tour itself. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The idea is that owners can plan the entire trip, including specific charging stops along the way. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026 The Dream came out in full force, making stops, getting clean looks at the 3-point line — fueled by Allisha Gray’s offensive prowess — and utilizing constant communication to get through the Lynx’s aggressive defense. — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Engineers reviewed the process and defined what constituted success, while hardware safeguards such as operating limits, interlocks and emergency stops restricted what the agent could do. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 His crew struggled often on stops earlier this season, losing 128 spots in the pits, but has been better with three top-five finishes in the past six races. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 The first came when Esteban Ocon’s Haas stopped on track, triggering the round of stops that set up the podium fight. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stops

Verb

The turf needs this lead time to absorb the nutrients before growth ceases in winter.

— Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2026
Melting then ceases, leaving a thin crust on the surface of the fragment.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of ceases

Verb

The smell of freshly ground espresso and incense fills the air, and staff speak to patients in hushed, discreet tones, almost as if discussing state secrets.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The person who fills gaps consistently becomes indispensable to the people around them.

— Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fills

Verb

Overcoming physical barriers The plasma centrifuge overcomes these physical barriers.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Used in the group’s previous drone research, this landing gear disperses energy to reduce impact and overcomes multiple engineering challenges.

— Tim Hornyak, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcomes

Noun

The threat of shattered glass if the bottle breaks, the subsequent odor suffusing all the items in your carryon, liquids seeping dangerously close to electronics—none of it sounds like a good idea.

— Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
If your washing machine breaks or there is a leak in your ceiling, your landlord will be responsible for paying to replace it or fix the problem.

— Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of breaks

Noun

After becoming a daily fixture in the 1990s, blackouts have worsened since 2024, when Cuba’s ancient power grid began to collapse and Soviet-era electrical stations began failing more frequently.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
Before beginning her full-time NBC News tenure in 2010, Welker worked for local TV stations in Providence, Rhode Island; Redding, California; and later Philadelphia, her hometown.

— Erin Jensen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of stations

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stoppling

stops

stops (by)

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Style

“Stops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stops. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of stops

verb

noun

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