stop short
idiom
: to stop or be stopped just before doing or reaching something
I had to slam on the brakes when the car in front of me stopped short.
He was about to say something, then stopped short.
—often + ofThe boss said that she was unhappy with some employees, but she stopped short of naming which ones.
The running back was stopped short of the goal line.
Examples of stop short in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The proposals stop short of closing the schools, like Iryna’s, that are operating online from exile, but teachers and parents worry that such a move may come later.
—
Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
To be sure, analysts with the investment advisory firm expect Mr. Trump to stop short of imposing a blanket tariff and instead pick his targets.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2025
However, some leaders stop short of getting curious enough to ask what might work.
—Julia Korn, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
That includes providing shorter fields for the generally methodical offense, and snuffing out opposing drives that the defense has labored to stop short as it’s allowed foes to convert third downs 41.7% of the time — 21st in the league.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stop short
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Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
To be sure, analysts with the investment advisory firm expect Mr. Trump to stop short of imposing a blanket tariff and instead pick his targets.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2025
However, some leaders stop short of getting curious enough to ask what might work.
—Julia Korn, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
That includes providing shorter fields for the generally methodical offense, and snuffing out opposing drives that the defense has labored to stop short as it’s allowed foes to convert third downs 41.7% of the time — 21st in the league.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stop short
Cite this Entry
“Stop short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stop%20short. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
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