stopper

Etymology

stop +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA^(key): /ˈstɒp.ə/
• (AusE) IPA^(key): /ˈstɔp.ə/
• (GenAm) IPA^(key): /ˈstɑ.pɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɒpə(r)

Noun

stopper (plural stoppers)

1. Agent noun of stop, someone or something that stops something.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IX:

     “It just shows you what women are like. A frightful sex, Bertie. There ought to be a law. I hope to live to see the day when women are no longer allowed.” “That would rather put a stopper on keeping the human race going, wouldn't it?” “Well, who wants to keep the human race going?”

   • 2000, Carole B. Cox, Empowering Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (page 28)

     Often, in our conversations we encourage people to talk, or we manage to stop them. This can happen without our even thinking about it. Following is a list of conversation starters and stoppers.

2. A type of knot at the end of a rope, to prevent it from unravelling.

   Put a stopper in the knot.

3. A bung or cork.

   We need a stopper or the boat will sink.

4. (slang, soccer) Goalkeeper.

   He's the number one stopper in the country.

   • 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC‎:

     And just before the interval, Kolarov, who was having one of his better games in a City shirt, fizzed in a cracker from 30 yards which the Wolves stopper unconvincingly pushed behind for a corner.

5. (finance, slang) In the commodity futures market, someone who is long (owns) a futures contract and is demanding delivery because they want to take possession of the deliverable commodity.

   Cattle futures: spillover momentum plus evidence of a strong stopper (i.e., 96 loads demanded) should kick the opening higher.

6. (rail transport) A train that calls at all or almost all stations between its origin and destination, including very small ones.
7. (botany) Any of several trees of the genus Eugenia, found in Florida and the West Indies.

   the red stopper

   (Can we find and add a quotation of C. S. Sargent to this entry?)

8. A playspot where water flows back on itself, creating a retentive feature.

Verb

stopper (third-person singular simple present stoppers, present participle stoppering, simple past and past participle stoppered)

1. To close a container by using a stopper.

   He tightly stoppered the decanter, thinking the expensive liqueur had been evaporating.

   The diaphragmatic spasm of his hiccup caused his epiglottis to painfully stopper his windpipe with a loud "hic".

Anagrams

• Toppers, opprest, popster, toppers

Verb

stopper

1. present tense of stoppe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɔpər/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

stopper m (plural stoppers, diminutive stoppertje n)

1. stop (device to block path)

Etymology

1792, from English stop.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stɔ.pe/

Verb

stopper

1. (colloquial) to stop

   il faut stopper cette hostilité permanente

   This permanent hostility must be stopped.

Further reading

• “stopper” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Verb

stopper

1. present tense of stoppe