Meaning & use
a stopover
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short stay at a place on the way to somewhere else, especially between two flights.
Grammar: Countable: say a stopover, two stopovers; the article 'a' is part of the phrase, not of the noun itself.
Patterns
- a stopover in a place
- a stopover of + length of time
- have/make a stopover
We had a stopover in Dubai for three hours before the flight to Sydney.
The cheapest ticket includes a long stopover in Istanbul, so we can leave the airport and see the city.
Because of a stopover in Seoul, the whole trip took almost a day.
nouncountable
A brief pause during a journey by road or sea, usually to rest or eat.
Grammar: Countable and used with 'a'; often followed by 'at' or 'in' plus a place.
Patterns
- a stopover at a place
- a quick stopover
We made a quick stopover at a roadside café and then drove on.
After a stopover in a small fishing town, the ferry continued north.
verbintransitive
To stop for a short time at a place before continuing a journey.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'in' or 'at' and a place: we stopover in Tokyo.
Patterns
- stopover in a place
- stopover at a place
- stopover for + time
We stopover in Doha for six hours on the way home.
Many passengers stopover overnight in Singapore and fly on the next morning.
Word forms
| plural | stopovers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | stopovers |
| past tense | stopovered |
| past participle | stopovered |
| -ing form | stopovering |
Common combinations
- a long stopover
- A long stopover gave us time to visit the old town.
- a short stopover
- It was only a short stopover, so we stayed near the gate.
- have a stopover
- Do we have a stopover on this route?
- a stopover in + city
- She booked a flight with a stopover in Amsterdam.
- an overnight stopover
- An overnight stopover can be cheaper than a direct flight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- layover
- Very close in meaning, but 'layover' is mainly used in American English and usually refers only to time between flights.
- stop
- More general and shorter; a 'stop' can be a few minutes on a bus route, while a stopover usually means hours or a night.
- break
- Suggests rest rather than travel logistics, and does not by itself suggest continuing the same journey.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: a stopover or stop over? a stopover or overnight stay?
a stopover vs stop over
Written as two words, 'stop over' is the verb phrase (we stopped over in Rome), while 'stopover' written as one word is the noun or adjective form.
a stopover vs overnight stay
This simply means spending a night somewhere; a stopover also implies that you are on your way to another place.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A stopover in Lisbon' is correct because the place where you pause takes 'in' (or 'at'), and the countable noun needs the article 'a'. 'To Lisbon' suggests movement toward a destination, and dropping 'a' is wrong because stopover is countable here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a stopover”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.