to put a stop to
58
3.0
- phrasal verb
- The teacher promised to put a stop to the bullying in her classroom immediately.
- an approach to put a stop to
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Watch on YouTubeAnyway, I have finally put a stop to it as of yesterday.
- Anyway, I have finally put a stop to it as of yesterday.
- Speaking of mascots, I need to put a stop to something.
- And the question is whether there's anything that can put a stop to this regress.
- And I, I did have to put a stop to it.
- And this dynamic can still arise, except when it does, she puts a stop to it right away.
- But they put a stop to it because the new black government, nobody wanted it.
- And it's hard to put a stop to that when you're just sitting calmly in your house and your, your body's not producing that shit.
Examples
-
We need a leader who will put a stop to the drift that has gone on almost ceaselessly for the past 50 years.
-
We must put a stop to these demonstrations.
-
I think we need to put a stop to a lot of this right now.
-
I want to put a stop to this.
-
We have to put a stop to this.
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Let's just put a stop to this now.
-
We've got to put a stop to this.
-
You've gotta put a stop to this.
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I know exactly what you're planning, and I'm here to put a stop to it.
-
We're doing our best to put a stop to it, but we haven't made much headway.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To make something end and not continue
∞
1.0
To stop something or make it finish
∞
2.9
Stop a machine, business, or system from working
816
1.3
To stop a machine or device from working with a switch
601
3.8
To stop something suddenly before it is finished
440
3.6
To stop or come to an end
411
2.8
Stop something from working or continuing
228
3.9
To stop something officially for a short time
197
2.6
Stop something from working by using a switch or valve
178
2.4
To stop moving or make something stop moving
175
2.9
To stop operating permanently, like a shop or company
156
7.2
Stop doing something annoying when someone tells you
151
4.8
To stop public protest by force or by people in power
151
4.6
To make something stop or finish
129
3.0
To make something stop completely
111
4.1
To officially end a law, system, or practice
82
5.6
To stop a plan or activity before it finishes, often because of problems
78
5.5
To stop something from going on by removing support like money
69
3.9
Temporarily stop a rule or policy from being used
48
4.2
To stop something that is happening or being given
46
6.3
To make something shorter or less than planned
35
7.7
To stop a strong feeling or a crowd causing trouble
25
3.4
Stop moving or working completely
24
7.7
Put an end to something or to someone's life
23
5.3
To officially stop an action or process for a time
21
4.2
To stop something completely using strong action
14
8.1
Forcefully stop something like a protest or rumor
14
5.5
End something completely, for example a custom or a debt
13
4.3
To slow down an activity or stop it
12
6.4
To stop something from continuing or becoming known
2
5.8
To delay a plan or project for a while
1
6.5
Stop something by using force or strict rules
1
4.7
Close a shop for the day or forever
1
7.7
To stop plans or activities from happening
1
3.6
End something completely so it does not continue
1
5.8
End a computer or website connection when you finish using it
To stop a meeting or discussion
Antonyms
How Final
111
4.1
151
4.6
58
3.0
∞
1.0
178
2.4
46
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to bring an end to' is directly derived from combining 'put' (to bring into a state) with 'stop' (to cause something to cease): the phrase literally means to cause something to stop. This causative composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (e.g., Spanish 'poner fin a'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The verb put a stop to comes from the simple image of putting a physical stop like a plug or block into a pipe or doorway to stop movement. That's why it means 'to make something stop'.