halt
gb/hˈɔlt/ us/hˈɔlt/
B2
English
~ 5700
megáll, félbeszakad, leáll, megállít, leállít, leállás, megállás, sánta, vasúti megállóhely
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] halts
At the sound of gunfire, the soldiers halted.
A lövések hallatán a katonák megálltak.
The bus halted just inches from the car in front.
A busz alig néhány centire állt meg az előtte lévő autótól.
Talks between the two companies halted after the disagreement.
Production halted when the power went out.
The machine suddenly halted and would not restart.
Learner examples
The train halted at the small station.
A vonat megállt a kis állomáson.
The game halted because of heavy rain.
A meccs félbeszakadt a heves eső miatt.
Work halted when the lights went off.
The car halted at the red light.
The meeting halted for a short break.
Common mistake:
Learners often use "halt" instead of the more natural "stop" in everyday speech (e.g. saying "Halt talking" instead of "Stop talking"). "Halt" is less common in casual conversation and is used more in writing, formal speech, or commands (e.g. "Soldiers, halt!").
Meaning
to stop moving or continuing
Collocations
halt immediately
|halt suddenly
|halt briefly
|halt operations
|halt progress
|halt expansion
Synonyms
stop (More common and less formal in everyday speech.)
|
pause (Suggests a short, often planned stop that will continue again.)
|
cease (More formal and often used for activities, processes, or behavior stopping.)
Antonyms
continue (Focuses on not stopping but going on in the same way.)
|
proceed (Emphasizes moving forward after a possible stop.)
|
resume (Means to start again after a break or halt.)
Themes
daily life
|transport
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To stop moving or stop continuing, often suddenly or because someone tells you to stop.
To stop moving, operating, or continuing, especially suddenly or by command.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to halt [something]
New regulations are meant to halt the spread of the disease.
Az új szabályok célja, hogy megállítsák a betegség terjedését.
The government moved quickly to halt the construction of the dam.
A kormány gyorsan lépett, hogy leállítsa a gát építését.
We must halt this project until we have more data.
Strong measures were taken to halt the company’s decline.
The police set up roadblocks to halt the stolen car.
Learner examples
The medicine helps halt the growth of the cancer.
A gyógyszer segít megállítani a daganat növekedését.
They want to halt the rise in prices.
Meg akarják állítani az árak emelkedését.
The city will halt work on the bridge this winter.
New rules may halt the sale of these products.
The manager decided to halt production for one day.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "halt to do something" when they mean "halt something" (e.g. "They halted to production" instead of "They halted production"). "Halt" in this sense is a transitive verb and normally takes a direct object.
Meaning
to cause something to stop
Collocations
halt the spread
|halt construction
|halt production
|halt a project
|halt the advance
|halt the decline
Synonyms
stop (Most general and common verb for causing something to end or not move.)
|
block (Suggests preventing movement or progress, often by putting something in the way.)
|
suspend (Suggests stopping something for a time, with the idea it may continue later.)
Antonyms
start (Opposite in the sense of causing an activity or process to begin.)
|
allow (Opposite in the sense of not preventing something from continuing.)
|
advance (Opposite when talking about stopping movement or progress forward.)
Themes
work
|business
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make something stop moving or stop continuing.
To cause a process, activity, or movement to stop.
NOUN
B2
3
Usage pattern:
come to a halt
Traffic came to a halt after the accident.
A baleset után leállt a forgalom.
The strike brought production to a complete halt.
A sztrájk teljesen leállította a termelést.
Talks between the two sides have come to a halt.
Heavy snow brought the city to a virtual halt.
The manager called a halt to the meeting after two hours.
Learner examples
The car came to a halt at the light.
Az autó megállt a lámpánál.
Rain brought the game to a halt.
Az eső miatt félbeszakadt a meccs.
The war brought trade to a halt.
Work came to a halt when the power went out.
The teacher called a halt to the noise.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "make a halt" instead of more natural phrases like "come to a halt" or "call a halt". Use fixed expressions such as "come to a halt", "bring to a halt", or "call a halt" rather than forming new ones.
Meaning
a temporary stop or pause
Collocations
come to a halt
|bring to a halt
|grind to a halt
|call a halt
|abrupt halt
|complete halt
Synonyms
stop (Most general noun; can sound less formal than "halt" in many contexts.)
|
pause (Suggests a short or planned stop that is usually not permanent.)
Antonyms
continuation (Opposite because it means something goes on without stopping.)
|
movement (Opposite in contexts where "halt" refers to stopping motion.)
Themes
daily life
|transport
|work
|core_vocabulary
|time
Definition
A short time when movement or an activity stops.
A temporary stop or pause in movement, activity, or progress, often noticeable or sudden.
C2
ARCHAIC
4
sánta
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] is halt
In the old text, charity was offered to the poor, the halt, and the blind.
A régi szövegben a szegényeknek, a sántáknak és a vakoknak nyújtottak segítséget.
The village cared for its halt and sick with great kindness.
A falu nagy kedvességgel gondoskodott sánta és beteg lakóiról.
He walked with a halt step, a reminder of an old injury.
Learner examples
The word "halt" for a person is old and not used today.
A „halt” szó személyre használva régies, és ma már nem használatos.
In the old book, they wrote about "the halt and the blind".
A régi könyvben „a sántákról és a vakokról” írtak.
Today, people say "lame" instead of "halt".
This meaning of "halt" appears in very old stories.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use this adjective meaning in modern speech (e.g. "He is halt"), which sounds old-fashioned or strange. In contemporary English, use "lame" or "disabled" instead.
Meaning
lame; walking with difficulty
Collocations
the halt and the lame
|blind and halt
|halt and maimed
Synonyms
lame (Modern and common word; "halt" is old-fashioned or literary.)
|
crippled (Older term that can now sound offensive; used carefully.)
Antonyms
able-bodied (Describes someone with no serious physical disability, especially in walking.)
|
sound (In older or literary use, means physically healthy or not injured.)
Themes
health
|literary
|body
Definition
Not able to walk in a normal way because of a leg or foot problem.
Unable to walk normally, typically because of injury or disability; lame.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
5
Usage pattern:
a halt on the [railway/line]
The train only stops at this rural halt twice a day.
A vonat ezen a vidéki megállóhelyen naponta csak kétszer áll meg.
We got off at a tiny halt with just a short platform.
Egy apró megállóhelyen szálltunk le, ahol csak egy rövid peron volt.
The old halt was closed when passenger numbers fell.
Learner examples
The train slowed at a small halt in the countryside.
A vonat lelassított egy kis vidéki megállóhelynél.
There was no ticket office at the halt.
Nem volt jegypénztár a megállóhelyen.
Only two trains a day come to this halt.
They built a new halt near the village.
The halt is smaller than the main station.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think any train station can be called a "halt". In modern English, "halt" in this sense is mainly British and refers to a very small, basic stop, often in railway jargon or historical contexts.
Meaning
small simple railway stop
Collocations
rural halt
|request halt
|little halt
|wayside halt
|unmanned halt
Synonyms
station (General word for any train stop; a "halt" is usually much smaller and simpler than a normal station.)
|
stop (Very general; does not show that the place is officially a small railway halt.)
Antonyms
mainline station (Contrasts with a small halt by being a large, fully equipped station.)
Themes
transport
|travel
|transportation
Definition
A very small train stop with almost no buildings, sometimes where trains stop only if people ask.
A very small and simple railway stopping place, often with minimal or no buildings and sometimes served only on request.
Grammar
Dictionary form
halt
IPA
GB/hˈɔlt/
US/hˈɔlt/
Syllables & stress
halt (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (halt)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: halt
Verb
- Base: halt
- 3rd Person Singular: halts
- Present Participle: halting
- Past: halted
Word family
Forms
halts
verb
halting
verb
halted
verb
Related words
haltingly
adverb
Expressions
at a halt
1/ˈæt ə hˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
in a stopped condition
Not moving or not continuing; stopped.
Examples
- All traffic was at a halt during the protest.
- Work on the bridge is at a halt until funds arrive.
- The factory stands at a halt after the accident.
bring to a halt
1/bɹˈɪŋ tə ə hˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
to cause something to stop
To make something stop moving or stop continuing.
Examples
- Heavy snow brought the city to a halt.
- The new law could bring the project to a halt.
- A power failure brought production to a sudden halt.
call a halt
1/kˈɔl ə hˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
to officially stop an activity
To say that an activity must stop, often in a clear or official way.
Examples
- The referee called a halt to the match due to the storm.
- After two hours, the chairperson called a halt to the meeting.
- Residents demanded that the mayor call a halt to the demolition.
come to a complete halt
1/kˈʌm tə ə kəmplˈit hˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
to stop completely
To stop fully, with no movement or activity left.
Examples
- The machine came to a complete halt after overheating.
- The negotiations came to a complete halt last week.
- Everything in the office came to a complete halt during the fire drill.
come to a grinding halt
1/kˈʌm tə ə ɡɹˈaɪndɪŋ hˈɔlt/
idiom
to stop completely after problems
To have many problems, become very slow, and then stop completely.
Examples
- Talks came to a grinding halt after the scandal.
- Our plans came to a grinding halt when we lost funding.
- The project came to a grinding halt due to technical issues.
come to a halt
1/kˈʌm tə ə hˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
to slow and then stop
To slow down and then stop moving or stop happening.
Examples
- Traffic came to a halt after the crash.
- The talks came to a halt when neither side would compromise.
- The old elevator shook and came to a halt between floors.
to a screeching halt
1/tə ə skɹˈit͡ʃɪŋ hˈɔlt/
idiom
to stop very suddenly
To stop very suddenly, often with surprise or strong emotion.
Examples
- The car came to a screeching halt just in time.
- Our plans came to a screeching halt when the company closed.
- The show came to a screeching halt after the power cut.
grind to a halt
1/ɡɹˈaɪnd tə ə hˈɔlt/
idiom
slow down and then stop completely
To become slower and slower and then stop completely.
Examples
- The economy has ground to a halt in recent months.
- Traffic ground to a halt after the accident.
- Production ground to a halt when the parts ran out.
- Talks between the two companies have ground to a halt.
- Traffic ground to a halt after the tunnel was closed.
- Production ground to a halt when the factory lost power.