stopper

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A piece of cork, glass, rubber or plastic pushed into the opening of a bottle, jar or sink to close it.

   Grammar: Countable: a stopper, two stoppers. Often follows the container word, as in a bottle stopper.

   Patterns

   • put a stopper in something
   • pull the stopper out

   He pushed the glass stopper back into the perfume bottle.

   Pull out the stopper and the bath water will drain away.

   The old decanter had lost its stopper years ago.

2. 2nouncountablesport

   In some team sports, a player whose main job is to block or halt the opposing side's attacks.

   Grammar: Sport use, often with a describing word: a defensive stopper.

   Patterns

   • a stopper in defense

   The coach used him as a stopper to shut down the other team's best forward.

   Their center-back was a tough stopper who rarely let anyone past.

3. 3nouncountableinformal

   Something that suddenly ends or interrupts an activity, usually in compounds such as showstopper or conversation stopper.

   Grammar: Almost always in compounds: a conversation stopper, a showstopper.

   Patterns

   • a conversation stopper
   • a showstopper

   Her question about his salary was a real conversation stopper.

   The final dress at the fashion show was a true showstopper.

Word forms

Common combinations

glass stopper

The glass stopper clinked as he set it on the table.

rubber stopper

Use a rubber stopper to seal the flask.

bottle stopper

She bought a silver bottle stopper as a gift.

insert a stopper

Insert a stopper into the drain before filling the sink.

conversation stopper

His blunt comment was a conversation stopper.

Synonyms and how they differ

cork

Cork is a stopper made specifically from cork bark, while stopper covers any material.

plug

Plug is wider in use and fits holes in sinks, walls and electrical sockets, whereas stopper stresses closing a container opening.

bung

Bung is a larger stopper for barrels and casks and sounds more technical or British.

cap

Cap fits over the outside of a container, whereas a stopper goes into the opening.

Word family

stop verb

to come or bring to a halt

stoppage noun

a halt in work or movement

stop noun

a halt or a place where a vehicle halts

unstoppable adjective

impossible to halt

stopple noun

an old word for a stopper

Commonly confused: stopper or stoppage?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stopper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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