stop short

stop short — idiom

1. to suddenly stop what you are doing just before you reach a goal, say something,

1.慣用語B2
釋義

to suddenly stop what you are doing just before you reach a goal, say something, or take an action — often because you realise it would be unwise or unsafe to continue.

例句

Jabari stopped short of telling his boss the real reason for leaving his job.

stop short of + gerund (telling)

The taxi stopped short just before hitting a cat that ran across the wet road.

passive-like construction: stopped short just before + gerund

同義詞
  • pull back

    more informal, often about retreating from a planned action rather than stopping at the brink

  • hesitate

    focuses on pausing due to doubt, not necessarily stopping completely

  • halt

    more formal and final; 'stop short' implies the possibility of continuing

反義詞
  • plunge into

    to begin doing something without hesitation — the opposite of holding back

  • forge ahead

    to continue with determination despite risks

文法句型

stop short of + gerund/noun

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the pattern 'stop short of + gerund' to describe what action was nearly taken but held back from. The subject can be a person, a group, or even a vehicle (for literal stopping).

常見錯誤

❌She stopped short to say something rude.
✅She stopped short of saying something rude.
💡The idiom requires 'of' before the action that was nearly done, not an infinitive purpose clause.