1. (v. t.) To close, as an aperture, by filling or by obstructing; as, to stop the ears; hence, to stanch, as a wound.

2. (v. t.) To obstruct; to render impassable; as, to stop a way, road, or passage.

3. (v. t.) To arrest the progress of; to hinder; to impede; to shut in; as, to stop a traveler; to stop the course of a stream, or a flow of blood.

4. (v. t.) To hinder from acting or moving; to prevent the effect or efficiency of; to cause to cease; to repress; to restrain; to suppress; to interrupt; to suspend; as, to stop the execution of a decree, the progress of vice, the approaches of old age or infirmity.

5. (v. t.) To regulate the sounds of, as musical strings, by pressing them against the finger board with the finger, or by shortening in any way the vibrating part.

6. (v. t.) To point, as a composition; to punctuate.

7. (v. t.) To make fast; to stopper.

8. (v. i.) To cease to go on; to halt, or stand still; to come to a stop.

9. (v. i.) To cease from any motion, or course of action.

10. (v. i.) To spend a short time; to reside temporarily; to stay; to tarry; as, to stop with a friend.

11. (n.) The act of stopping, or the state of being stopped; hindrance of progress or of action; cessation; repression; interruption; check; obstruction.

12. (n.) That which stops, impedes, or obstructs; as obstacle; an impediment; an obstruction.

13. (n.) A device, or piece, as a pin, block, pawl, etc., for arresting or limiting motion, or for determining the position to which another part shall be brought.

14. (n.) The closing of an aperture in the air passage, or pressure of the finger upon the string, of an instrument of music, so as to modify the tone; hence, any contrivance by which the sounds of a musical instrument are regulated.

15. (n.) In the organ, one of the knobs or handles at each side of the organist, by which he can draw on or shut off any register or row of pipes; the register itself; as, the vox humana stop.

16. (n.) A member, plain or molded, formed of a separate piece and fixed to a jamb, against which a door or window shuts. This takes the place, or answers the purpose, of a rebate. Also, a pin or block to prevent a drawer from sliding too far.

17. (n.) A point or mark in writing or printing intended to distinguish the sentences, parts of a sentence, or clauses; a mark of punctuation. See Punctuation.

18. (n.) The diaphragm used in optical instruments to cut off the marginal portions of a beam of light passing through lenses.

19. (n.) The depression in the face of a dog between the skull and the nasal bones. It is conspicuous in the bulldog, pug, and some other breeds.

20. (n.) Some part of the articulating organs, as the lips, or the tongue and palate, closed (a) so as to cut off the passage of breath or voice through the mouth and the nose (distinguished as a lip-stop, or a front-stop, etc., as in p, t, d, etc.), or (b) so as to obstruct, but not entirely cut off, the passage, as in l, n, etc.; also, any of the consonants so formed.

English horn abandon abjure abort afterthought allophone alveolar anchorage apico-alveolar apico-dental arrest arrestation articulation aspiration assimilation awe baffle ban bar barricade barrier bassoon bearing rein beat off belay bell bilabial bind bit blank wall blind alley blind gut block block flute block up blockade blockage blocking bombard bottleneck boundary bourdon bourn box brake break break of break off break the habit bring to bring up bring up short bung bureaucratic delay cacuminal caesura call on call upon calm calm down cancel caulk cease cease fire cecum cello cerebral cessation chain check check valve checkmate checkrein chink chock choke choke off choke up choking choking off claribel clarinet clarion clog clog up close close off close up closing closing up cock colon come off come up short comma concert flute conclude conclusion confine congest congestion consonant constipate constipation continuant cork corner cornet cornopean costiveness counter countercheck cover cromorna cul-de-sac curb curb bit cure cushion cut it out cut off cut out cut short cutoff cymbel dam dam up damp dampen damper daunt dead end dead set dead stand dead stop dead-end street deaden deadlock deafen debarment delay delayage delayed reaction dental depot desist desist from desistance destination detain detention deter determent determine deterrence diacritical mark diapason die down diphthong disaccustom discontinuance discontinue discourage discouragement dishearten dissimilation disuse doorstop double take drag drag sail dragging draw rein draw up drift anchor drift sail drive back drogue drop drop in drop it dulciana dull dwindle dying down ebb ebbing embolism embolus end end stop endgame ending epenthetic vowel estoppel explosive extremity faucet faze fence fend fend off fetch up fetter fill fill up final whistle finish finish up flute stop forbiddance foreclosure forestalling forswear foul foundation stop fourniture freeze full stop gamba gedeckt gemshorn give over give up glide glottal glottalization goal gorge grinding halt gun guttural halt hang fire hang-up harbor harmonic flute have done with haven hinder hindrance hold hold at bay hold back hold off hold up holdback holdup hole hybrid stop impasse impede impediment infarct