# stopped

/ˈstɑpt/ (US) · /stˈɒpt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stopped
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. finished an action

verb · CEFR A1

to have finished doing something or to have come to an end.

For teachers: the past tense of 'stop', indicating the cessation of an activity or process.

- The rain finally stopped after three days of heavy storms.
- The production line stopped abruptly when a sensor detected a misalignment in the primary assembly arm.

### 2. stayed in a place

verb · CEFR A2

to have stayed somewhere for a short time during a journey.

For teachers: the past tense of 'stop', indicating a temporary stay or pause at a location during transit.

- We stopped at a small café for lunch on our way to the coast.
- The delegation stopped in Geneva for forty-eight hours to consult with local officials before proceeding to the summit in Brussels.

### 3. not moving

adjective · CEFR A2

not moving or no longer in motion.

For teachers: describing a state of arrested motion; often used for vehicles or machinery that have ceased operation.

- The police officer walked toward the stopped car to check the driver's ID.
- The investigation focused on the stopped train, attempting to determine why the emergency brakes had engaged without driver intervention.

### 4. blocked or closed

adjective · CEFR B2

blocked or filled so that nothing can pass through.

For teachers: describing a pipe, passage, or container that is obstructed or closed at one end.

- The sink was stopped with hair and soap, so the water wouldn't drain.
- The plumber identified a stopped pipe deep within the building's foundation that was causing the backup in the lower levels above-ground units.

### 5. linguistic sounds

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

describing sounds made by completely closing your mouth for a moment.

For teachers: referring to a consonant produced by a complete obstruction of the airflow in the vocal tract.

- The letters 'p' and 'b' are examples of stopped sounds.
- Phonetic analysis reveals that the speaker frequently omits the final stopped consonant when speaking at a natural conversational pace.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun 'consonant' or 'sound'.

## Examples

- The rain finally stopped after two hours.
- The bus stopped at the corner to let the passengers get off.
- The factory stopped production immediately after the safety inspectors discovered a significant leak in the main cooling system.

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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.