What are the synonyms of stop ? What is the importance of using them instead of stop? Stay with POC English to answer these questions!
One of the most basic words for inhibition is “stop”. You can see and hear it everywhere. Stop worrying, stop being lazy, stop entering this place, etc. But if you want to stop someone from doing something, aren’t there any other words to make your sentence more native-like? Of course, there is!
And that is what we are going to learn today in this lesson, 7 synonyms of stop in English.
1. To prevent
Prevent is one of the synonyms of stop that has two different meanings:
- To stop somebody from doing something.
For example, the police tried to prevent him from leaving.
Pay close attention to the sentence structure:
You prevent somebody from doing something. in this sentence, the police prevent the man from leaving.
- His father was trying to prevent him from joining the army.
In this sentence, the father was preventing the son from joining the army.
- To stop something from happening.
For example, vaccination will prevent the spread of the virus.
For this meaning, our sentence structure will be like this:
Prevent something
- We should try to prevent accidents.
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2. To obstruct
To obstruct is one of the other synonyms of stop which means to block somebody’s path or to be in the way of something. For example, she was obstructing the entrance. This means that she was in front of the entrance and we couldn’t pass her.
- After the storm, a fallen tree obstructed the road.
This sentence means that there was a tree on the road and cars couldn’t go past the tree.
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3. To hinder
The third item of synonyms of stop is ” Hinder ” that means to make it difficult for somebody to do something, or to make it difficult for something to happen.
- The storm may hinder the train from arriving on time.
Notice the structure:
Hinder somebody/something from doing something.
- Financial problems hindered him from going on a trip.
It means that lack of money stopped him from going on a trip.
4. To prohibit
Prohibit is a formal verb of synonyms of stop and is usually used in serious situations. It means to officially stop something from happening by making rules, to now allow or forbid something.
For example, the government prohibited people from using public spaces without a face mask.
Notice the structure:
Prohibit somebody from doing something.
- Trucks are prohibited from driving on this road.
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5. To hamper
One of the formal synonyms of stop in English is hamper. It means to make something difficult happen. For example, budget restrictions hampered the project.
This sentence means that due to the lack of money they couldn’t finish the project, so the project had to stop.
- Construction is hampering traffic on the highway.
It means due to the construction, traffic can not move forward easily.
6. To stand in somebody’s way
It means to stop somebody from doing something.
Imagine someone you love (for example one of your family members) decides to go abroad to study and of course, it’s a hard decision to make. In this situation you can say:
“Well, if you want to go and study abroad I won’t stand in your way. Even though it’s very difficult for me.”
Another example:
- If he really loves you, he won’t stand in your way.
It means that he won’t stop you from doing what you want to do.
7. To stand in the way of something
This item of synonyms of stop is quite similar to the last one. It means to stop something from happening.
- Don’t let anything stand in the way of your happiness.
It means don’t let anything stop you from being happy.
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- I don’t want to stand in the way of progress.
It means that I don’t want to stop progress from happening.
Conclusion of synonyms of stop
Now, you know 7 synonyms of stop in English. Let’s review all of them:
| Verb | Structure |
| 1. To prevent | To stop somebody from doing something / To stop somebody from doing something |
| 2. To obstruct | To obstruct something |
| 3. To hinder | Hinder somebody/something from doing something |
| 4. To prohibit | Prohibit somebody from doing something |
| 5. To hamper | To hamper something |
| 6. To stand | To stand in somebody’s way / To stand in the way of something |
Don’t forget to practice them by using them in your sentences. If you have any suggestions or comments, I looking forward to reading them!
