stopcock
/ˈstɒpkɒk/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈstɑːpkɑːk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstäp-ˌkäk/ (ame, mw)
stopcock — noun
- stopcocksingular
- stopcocksplural
1. a small tap fitted into a pipe that you can turn by hand to start, slow, or comp
a small tap fitted into a pipe that you can turn by hand to start, slow, or completely shut off the water or gas moving inside it
Mauricio turned the stopcock under the kitchen sink to shut off the water supply.
collocation: turn the stopcock to shut off the water
The plumber asked Nkechi where the main stopcock was hidden in her flat.
collocation: the main stopcock
Every winter, Takeshi closes the outdoor stopcock so the garden pipes do not freeze and burst.
A loose stopcock was dripping steadily onto the basement floor.
If a pipe bursts at night, you should know where the stopcock is to stop the flood.
- valve
broader term for any device that controls flow; a stopcock is one hand-turned type
- tap
British word that also covers ordinary sink taps, so it is wider than stopcock
- shut-off valve
American term emphasising the cut-off function
文法句型
turn off/on the stopcock
the main stopcock
用法筆記
Refers specifically to the hand-operated tap built into a household water or gas pipe; in British usage the 'main stopcock' is the single valve that cuts off a building's whole water supply.