• synonyms


or stop·out

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  1. a temporary withdrawal from school or a delay in the pursuit of one's education.
  2. a student who withdraws from school temporarily.
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Origin of stop-out

First recorded in 1970–75; stop + (drop)out


verb (used with object), stopped or (Archaic) stopt; stop·ping.
  5. to restrain, hinder, or prevent (usually followed by from): I couldn't stop him from going.
  11. Sports.
  12. Banking. to notify a bank to refuse payment of (a check) upon presentation.
  13. Bridge. to have an honor card and a sufficient number of protecting cards to keep an opponent from continuing to win in (a suit).
  14. Music.
    3. to produce (a particular note) by so doing.
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verb (used without object), stopped or (Archaic) stopt; stop·ping.
  3. to cease; come to an end.
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  1. the act of stopping.
  7. a plug or other stopper for an opening.
  8. an obstacle, impediment, or hindrance.
  10. Architecture. a feature terminating a molding or chamfer.
  11. Commerce.
    1. an order to refuse payment of a check.
    2. stop order.
  12. Music.
    2. a device or contrivance, as on an instrument, for accomplishing this.
    4. Also called stop knob.a knob or handle that is drawn out or pushed back to permit or prevent the sounding of such a set of pipes or to control some other part of the organ.
  14. Nautical. a piece of small line used to lash or fasten something, as a furled sail.
  15. Phonetics.
    1. an articulation that interrupts the flow of air from the lungs.
    2. a consonant sound characterized by stop articulation, as p, b, t, d, k, and g.Compare continuant.
  16. Photography. the diaphragm opening of a lens, especially as indicated by an f- number.
  17. Building Trades.
    1. stop bead.
    2. doorstop(def 2).
  21. Zoology. a depression in the face of certain animals, especially dogs, marking the division between the forehead and the projecting part of the muzzle.
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Verb Phrases
  4. stop out,
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  1. pull out all the stops,
    1. to use every means available.
    2. to express, do, or carry out something without reservation.
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Origin of stop

Related formsstop·less, adjectivestop·less·ness, nounmul·ti·stop, adjective


See more synonyms for stop on Thesaurus.com

Synonym study



1–3. start.

British Dictionary definitions for stop out

stop out

  1. (tr, adverb) to cover (part of the area) of a piece of cloth, printing plate, etc, to prevent it from being dyed, etched, etc
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verb stops, stopping or stopped
  1. to cease from doing or being (something); discontinuestop talking
  2. to cause (something moving) to halt or (of something moving) to come to a haltto stop a car; the car stopped
  3. (tr) to prevent the continuance or completion ofto stop a show
  4. (tr often foll by from) to prevent or restrainto stop George from fighting
  5. (tr) to keep backto stop supplies to the navy
  6. (tr) to intercept or hinder in transitto stop a letter
  7. (tr often foll by up) to block or plug, esp so as to closeto stop up a pipe
  8. (tr often foll by up) to fill a hole or opening into stop up a wall
  9. (tr) to staunch or stemto stop a wound
  11. (tr) to deduct (money) from pay
  12. (tr) British to provide with punctuation
  14. (tr) informal to receive (a blow, hit, etc)
  15. (intr) to stay or restwe stopped at the Robinsons' for three nights
  16. (tr) rare to defeat, beat, or kill
  17. (tr) music
    3. to produce (a note) in this manner
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  1. an arrest of movement or progress
  2. the act of stopping or the state of being stopped
  3. a place where something halts or pausesa bus stop
  4. a stay in or as if in the course of a journey
  5. the act or an instance of blocking or obstructing
  6. a plug or stopper
  8. British a punctuation mark, esp a full stop
  9. Also called: stop thrust fencing a counterthrust made without a parry in the hope that one's blade will touch before one's opponent's blade
  10. short for stop payment, stop order
  11. music
    1. the act of stopping the string, finger hole, etc, of an instrument
  12. pull out all the stops
    1. to play at full volume
    2. to spare no effort
  13. Australian a stud on a football boot
  17. Also called: f-stop photog
    2. another name for diaphragm (def. 4)
  18. a block or carving used to complete the end of a moulding
  19. Also called: stopper bridge a protecting card or winner in a suit in which one's opponents are strong
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Derived Formsstoppable, adjective

Word Origin


Word Origin and History for stop out



Old English -stoppian (in forstoppian "to stop up, stifle"), a general West Germanic word (cf. West Frisian stopje, Middle Low German stoppen, Old High German stopfon, German stopfen "to plug, stop up," Old Low Frankish (be)stuppon "to stop (the ears)"), but held by many sources to be a borrowing from Vulgar Latin *stuppare "to stop or stuff with tow or oakum" (cf. Italian stoppare, French étouper "to stop with tow"), from Latin stuppa "coarse part of flax, tow." Plugs made of tow were used from ancient times in Rhine valley. Barnhart, at least, proposes the whole Germanic group rather might be native, from a base *stoppon.

Sense of "bring or come to a halt" (mid-15c.) is from notion of preventing a flow by blocking a hole, and the word's development in this sense is unique to English, though it since has been widely adopted in other languages; perhaps influenced by Latin stupere "be stunned, be stupefied." Stop-and-go (adj.) is from 1926, originally a reference to traffic signals.

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late 15c., from stop (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with stop out


In addition to the idioms beginning with stop

  • stop at nothing
  • stop by
  • stop cold
  • stop in
  • stop off
  • stop payment
  • stop short
  • stop someone's clock
  • stop the clock
  • stop up

also see:

  • buck stops here
  • pull out all the stops
  • put an end (a stop) to
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