ENGLISH
REFERENCE

halt

v. · n. · adj.
US //ˈhɔɫt// UK //hˈɒlt// halt
  1. 1 to stop (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to stop moving or to stop an activity immediately.

    to bring to a stop or to cease moving; often used in military or formal contexts.

    Example

    The soldiers were ordered to halt at the edge of the forest.

    Example

    The production line was forced to halt immediately after a critical mechanical failure was detected in the primary cooling system.

    Usage

    Can be used both transitively (to halt something) and intransitively (to halt).
  2. 2 a stop (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a temporary stop in movement or progress.

    a suspension of movement or activity, typically temporary in nature.

    Example

    The car came to a sudden halt when a cat ran across the road.

    Example

    Negotiations came to a grinding halt as neither side was willing to compromise on the final budgetary requirements.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the phrase 'come to a halt' or 'call a halt to'.
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  1. 3 small train station (n.)
    C1 Advanced British English

    a very small train station, usually without any staff or buildings.

    a minor railway station, typically unstaffed and possessing minimal facilities.

    Example

    The train only stops at the village halt if you signal the driver.

    Example

    The rural halt consisted of nothing more than a short wooden platform and a single weathered signpost indicating the next destination.
  2. 4 lame (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    an old word for someone who is unable to walk properly because of an injury.

    physically disabled or lame; specifically referring to a limping gait.

    Example

    The old story tells of a king who helped the poor and the halt.

    Example

    In the biblical passage, the beggar was described as halt and blind, sitting by the city gates to ask for alms.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is almost exclusively found in historical literature or religious texts; it is not used in modern medical or social contexts.
    • able bodied
Etymology 1

From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-West Germanic haltōn, related to halt. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta.

Etymology 2

From Middle French halt, from early modern German halt (“stop!”), imperative of halten (“to hold, to stop”). Doublet of hold (see that entry for more information).

Etymology 3

From Middle English halt, from Old English healt, from Proto-West Germanic halt, from Proto-Germanic haltaz (“halt, lame”), from Proto-Indo-European kol-d-, from Proto-Indo-European kel- (“to beat, strike, cut, slash”). Cognate with Danish halt, Swedish halt.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from French halte.

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