stop short
Idioms-
Also, stop one short . Check abruptly, as in When we tried to cross the street, the barrier stopped us short . [Early 1300s]
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Cause someone to stop speaking, as in I was about to tell them the date when my father stopped me short . [Late 1800s]
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stop short of . Not go so far as to do or say something. For example, He may embroider the truth but he stops short of actually lying . This usage was first recorded in 1818.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some of his advisers and supporters urge him to stop short of a change of regime in Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Iranian policymakers have believed the United States would stop short of targeting leaders for fear of escalation but "the Maduro episode complicates that assumption," she wrote.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
Oddly, some people still stop short of characterizing “Andor” as commentary on fascism, although parallels between the Empire and Adolf Hitler's Third Reich abound.
From Salon • May 7, 2025
Last September, new rules were published for BBC flagship presenters, saying they should be allowed to express views on issues and policies, but stop short of political campaigning.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2024
She didn’t go any farther than the porch, though, causing Ophie to stop short next to her.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
