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Kevin
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August 16, 2024
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Common Questions
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For recovering addicts and alcoholics monitoring their state of physical and mental wellbeing, H.A.L.T. is an acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. That said, the word “halt” can also be used as a verb and a noun with different meanings.
So, what does halt (/hôlt/ /hɔlt/ /hɔːlt/) mean, you ask? Let’s dive in.
What Is the Definition of Halt?
According to the Collins English Dictionary, when a vehicle or person comes to a halt, they stop moving in the direction they were going. Whether used as a verb or a noun, it’s a temporary or permanent stop in a process. In other words, it means stop.
What Is the Etymology of Halt?
Our word of the day derives from Middle English halten, Old English healt, and Old High German haltmachen, meaning “to hold.” The word suggests a stoppage amid action.
That said, we should note that a less-used definition of the word is “limping,” which still ties in with the gist of stopping.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Halt?
A great way to improve your overall understanding of a new word is by reviewing its synonyms and antonyms. What are synonyms and antonyms, you ask?
In short, synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings, whereas antonyms are words with opposite meanings.
Synonyms
- Stop
- Standstill
- Cessation
- Termination
- Kibosh
- Waver
- Falter
- Finish
- Discontinuance
- Pull up
- Cease
- Come to rest
- Discontinue
- Regress
- End
- Break
- Pause
- Interruption
- Close
- Stopping
Antonyms
- Go
- Start
- Continue
- Continuation
- Carry on
- Advance
- Drive
- Impel
- Propel
- Proceed
- Persist
- Run on
- Push
- Ran
How Can You Use Halt in a Sentence?
By now, you likely understand that the word halt means “stop,” but do you know how to use it in a sentence? Not to worry — here are a few sentence examples for you to study below:
The car came to a screeching halt before it started to roll forward.
Joanne had her horse come to a halt before crossing the road.
After slamming on the brakes, Timmy’s bike came to a complete halt.
Becky’s car skidded to a halt.
Bob’s vehicle made a strange noise and then jerked to a halt.
Halt! Who goes there!?
It took quite a bit of time, but they finally put a halt to the nasty rumors.
Once they realized he was cheating, the game came to a halt.
We weren’t able to halt the bill from passing, but we certainly won’t stop protesting!
She eased the puppy to a gentle halt before rewarding him with a tasty treat.
Fortunately, John saw the deer right before it ran across the road, so he was able to bring his car to a quick halt safely.
The cruise ship slowed to a halt before tossing over the anchor to allow passengers to exit.
Charlene desperately tried to halt her Jeep, but it was a little too late.
The strike finally came to a halt after the protestors got what they wanted.
Don’t halt your dreams… reach for the moon and you just might land among the stars!
What Are Translations of Halt?
So that your next online chat doesn’t come to an unexpected halt when conversing with peers from around the globe, we have you covered with translations of our word of the day; use these translations to wow your friends by speaking in their native language!
Below you will find translations of halt used as noun and a verb — both of which have been provided by Collins English Language Dictionary.
Translations of halt as a verb:
- American English — halt
- Brazilian Portuguese — parar
- Chinese (simplified) — 停住
- Italian — fermarsi
- Japanese — 停止する
- Korean — 정지하다
- European Portuguese — parar
- Spanish — detenerse
- British English — halt
- Thai — หยุด
- European Spanish — detenerse
- French — stopper
- German — anhalten
Translations of halt as a noun:
- Japanese — 停止
- Korean — 정지하다
- Norwegian — stans
- Polish — postój
- European Portuguese — paragem
- Romanian — întrerupere
- Russian — остановка
- Spanish — detención
- Swedish — rast
- Thai — การหยุด
- American English — halt
- Arabic — وُقوف
- Brazilian Portuguese — parada
- Chinese (simplified) — 停止
- Croatian — stanka
- Czech — zastavení
- Danish — stop
- British English — halt
- Dutch — stilstand
- European Spanish — detención
- Finnish — pysähdys
- French — halte
- German — Pause
- Greek — στάση, σταμάτημα
- Italian — fermata
- Turkish — duraksama
- Ukrainian — зупинка
- Vietnamese — sự dừng lại
Conclusion
While our word of the day can be used as either a verb or a noun, either way you look at it, halt means stop or to cease moving.
When used as a verb, for example, one might say “the team halted for lunch and strolled around the park.” When used as a noun, on the other hand, you might say, “the car came to a fast halt.”
That said, we should note that although our word of the day is widely known as a synonym of “stop,” it can also mean “limp.”
We hope you enjoyed learning about the word halt! If you’d like to expand your vocabulary by discovering more interesting terms, we invite you to check out our website, where you’ll find informative blogs, helpful grammar tips, and more.
Whether you need help better understanding a new slang word or simply hoping to learn the origin of a confusing term, you can always count on The Word Counter to have your back.
Sources:
Halt definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
