əˈɹɛst ˈkləʊ.ʒə(ɹ) ˈkloʊ.ʒɝ hɪtʃ stɒp stɑp the act of stopping something the third baseman made some remarkable stops his stoppage of the flow resulted in a flood an obstruction in a pipe or tube we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe the state of inactivity following an interruption the negotiations were in arrest held them in check during the halt he got some lunch the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow he spent the entire stop in his seat