# stemming

/ˈstɛmɪŋ/ (US) · /stˈɛmɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stemming
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. stopping or originating

verb · CEFR B2

the act of stopping something from growing or spreading; also, coming from a specific source.

For teachers: the present participle of 'stem', used to describe the act of restricting a flow or the process of originating from a source.

- The government is focused on stemming the rise in energy prices.
- The analyst argued that the current economic instability was stemming from a lack of consumer confidence in the banking sector.

### 2. word roots

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a way to find the basic part of a word by removing the endings, used in computer searches.

For teachers: the process of reducing inflected or derived words to their word stem or root form. Often used in information retrieval and search engine algorithms.

- Search engines use stemming so that a search for 'running' also finds 'run'.
- Effective stemming algorithms are essential for improving the recall of search queries in large-scale document databases.

### 3. climbing technique

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a climbing move where you push your hands or feet against two opposite walls to stay in place.

For teachers: a technique in rock climbing or canyoneering involving the application of opposing pressure with the limbs against two parallel or near-parallel faces.

- The climber used stemming to move up the narrow chimney in the rock.
- The route requires advanced stemming techniques to navigate the slick limestone corners where traditional holds are absent.

### 4. nautical movement

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

moving a boat directly against the flow of the water.

For teachers: the act of a vessel maintaining its position or moving forward directly against a current or tide.

- The small boat struggled with stemming the powerful tide near the harbour entrance.
- Stemming the tide required significant engine power to prevent the vessel from being swept back toward the rocky coastline.

## Examples

- The doctor applied pressure to help stemming the blood flow.
- The central bank raised interest rates in an attempt at stemming the rapid rise of inflation.
- Emergency crews worked through the night, using sandbags and heavy machinery in a desperate bid aimed at stemming the floodwaters before they reached the historic town center.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.