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to kibosh

to kibosh

1 9.9
To stop something from happening or continuing
  • verb
  • /ˈkaɪbɑʃ/
  • Informal
translation icon : frenar
  • Now that the Bush Administration has kiboshed the Kyoto Protocol, are efforts to curtail global warming dead?

And that got that got kiboshed real fast.

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Examples

  • The principal decided to kibosh the school dance when he learned about the planning issues.

  • If people were saying snide comments about you, I would put the kibosh on that and be like hey knock it off.

  • And that got that got kiboshed real fast.

  • But our last attempt to do that got kiboshed.

    Blog text (3)
  • So Nixon put a kibosh on that, closed the gold window and took the dollar completely off of any tie, severed any tie to gold.

  • I'm going outside and and she sees him and just glowers at him like she knows this guy just puts the kibosh on any fun.

  • I'm going outside and, and she sees him and just glowers at him like she knows this guy just puts the kibosh on any fun.

  • But like, I feel like I feel like it's going to be kiboshed at least until like it gets legally dealt with properly.

  • Betcha he would kibosh the mosque.

    Blog text (17)
  • And it could be that Roger Zelazny's untimely death put the the kibosh on that.

Synonyms

to stop
vsto kibosh
1.0

To make something end and not continue

is used informally to mean preventing development rather than neutral ending
to block
vsto kibosh
3.0

To stop movement, access, or progress

is more informal and used to say something was prevented outright
to halt
vsto kibosh
206 2.4

To stop moving or make something stop moving

expresses stopping with informal emphasis on preventing development
to pull the plug
vsto kibosh
87 5.5

To stop something from going on by removing support like money

is the informal act of preventing progress without formal procedure
to put a stop to
vsto kibosh
62 3.0

To end something so it no longer happens

is the informal idiomatic way to prevent something from developing
freeze
vsto kibosh
  • Formal
37 6.2

An official decision to stop an activity, for example pay increases

is informal and general, not limited to official suspension measures
to put the brakes on
vsto kibosh
11 4.3

To slow down an activity or stop it

implies a firm, immediate stop rather than gradual slowing
to put a lid on
vsto kibosh
  • US
9 6.4

To stop something from continuing or becoming known

focuses on preventing development in general, not only secrecy
to choke off
vsto kibosh
6 6.4

To stop a supply by blocking its source or flow

is a broader, informal prevention that need not cut sources

Antonyms

1.0

To let something happen or let someone do something

325 2.1

Help something grow or develop

How Complete

to quash
  • Formal
8 8.1
to kibosh
  • Informal
1 9.9
to prevent
2.3
stop
310 1.0
to block
3.0
to hinder
75 3.6
to delay
562 1.4

Surface Forms

kibosh infinitive
kiboshed past
kiboshed past participle
kiboshing present participle
kiboshes third person singular

Etymology

The word kibosh may come from an old Irish phrase caidhp bháis meaning 'cap of death'. A helpful image is putting a final 'cap' on a plan so it cannot move, which is why to kibosh something means to stop it.