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Meaning & use

stopcock

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈstɒpkɒk/
US/ˈstɑːpkɑːk/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableBritish

    A valve on a pipe that you turn to stop or start the flow of water or gas.

    Grammar: Countable: a house may have a main stopcock and several others.

    Patterns

    • turn off the stopcock
    • the stopcock under the sink

    When the pipe burst, he ran to turn off the stopcock under the sink.

    Make sure everyone in the house knows where the main stopcock is.

    The old stopcock was so stiff that it took a wrench to turn it.

  2. nouncountablechemistrytechnical

    A small tap on glass laboratory equipment, such as a burette, controlling the flow of liquid.

    Grammar: Used in chemistry labs: open the stopcock slowly.

    Patterns

    • open the stopcock
    • the stopcock of a burette

    She opened the stopcock slowly to let the solution drip into the flask.

    A little grease keeps the glass stopcock turning smoothly.

    Close the stopcock as soon as the liquid reaches the line.

Word forms

pluralstopcocks

Common combinations

turn off the stopcock
Turn off the stopcock before you touch the leaking pipe.
main stopcock
The main stopcock is in the cupboard by the front door.
find the stopcock
It took us ten minutes to find the stopcock.
stiff stopcock
A stiff stopcock may need a drop of oil.
burette stopcock
The burette stopcock controls how fast the liquid flows.
open the stopcock
Open the stopcock slowly so the pipes do not bang.

Synonyms and how they differ

shutoff valve
Shutoff valve is the usual American term and describes the function directly, while stopcock sounds distinctly British.
valve
Valve is broader and covers any device that controls flow, not only a turning tap to stop the supply.
tap
A tap is where water comes out for use, whereas a stopcock is a hidden control that cuts the supply to pipes.
faucet
A faucet is the American word for a tap that releases water into a sink, not the valve that shuts off the pipe.

Word family

stop verb
to end movement or flow
cock noun
an old word for a tap or valve
valve noun
a device controlling flow
stopcocks noun
the plural form

Commonly confused: stopcock or stopwatch?

stopcock vs stopwatch

A stopwatch is a timing device, while a stopcock is a valve on a pipe, although the two words begin alike.

Practice

When the pipe burst, he rushed to turn off the ___ under the sink.

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