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Glite Dictionary
🛑 A complete end ⏺️ A period mark
full stop

full stop

15 3.6
A complete end to an activity or process
  • noun
  • /fʊl stɑp/
  • UK
: punto final
  • Getting all those folks together is enough, full stop.
  • came to a full stop

And sometimes, you know, it puts you, it puts a full stop for some time.

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Examples

  • He brought the car to a full stop at the edge of the highway and looked over at me.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Now, having reached a full stop, Leonard forgets where he is, and the crowd seems to realize, as if with one mind, how drunk he is.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • - I came to a full stop.

    Huckleberry (2018)

  • In fact, stop talking, full stop.

    Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

  • Candidates for public office see their careers come to a full stop.

    Blog text (5)

  • This is the view that enhancement of opportunity sets is always good, full stop.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Three Mile Island (TMI) brought a full stop to US nuclear reactor building, no matter what type.

    Blog text (32)

  • Finally, Ducco radioed the tower for a full-stop landing.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The car came to a complete full stop when the light turned red.

  • The driver was required to make a full stop at the stop sign before proceeding.

Synonyms

ending
vsfull stop
393 1.0

The final part of something, like an event, story, or relationship

is a sudden total stop rather than the concluding part or section
close
vsfull stop
150 1.6

The end of an event, period, or activity

is a firmer, complete stop, more absolute than a normal conclusion
halt
vsfull stop
93 2.3

A stop in movement or activity

is a permanent, decisive stop rather than a temporary pause
end of the line
vsfull stop
52 4.1

The point when something stops or finishes

is a more absolute, forceful ending implying no further continuation
end point
vsfull stop
16 3.9

The place or moment when something finishes

is the fully decisive end, implying a complete stop rather than conclusion
endpoint
vsfull stop
8 5.4

A place or time when something ends

is an absolute, final end rather than just a finishing moment
stopping point
vsfull stop
3 3.1

A time when an activity or event ends

is a total and decisive halt rather than merely the end moment
termination
vsfull stop
2 5.5

The end point of something like a road or tunnel

is the complete, definitive halt, stronger than a final boundary

Antonyms

continuation
58 3.6

An act of something keeping going without stopping

beginning
30 1.0

Something that is at the first stage of a process

How Final

full stop
  • UK
15 3.6
closure
134 5.1
stop
117 1.0
pause
169 1.0

Surface Forms

full stop singular
full stops plural

Morphology

full + stop

The meaning 'a complete halt' is directly and compositionally derived from 'full' (completely) modifying 'stop' (a halt), so a learner who knows both words can infer a definitive end. This is a regular adjectival + noun composition common across languages and contexts, making the phrase readily predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Full stop can also mean a complete end to something. This sense comes from the punctuation mark: just as the dot ends a sentence, people call the end of a project or discussion a full stop, meaning 'a complete end' with nothing more to follow.