stoppage

Noun

stoppage (plural stoppages)

1. A pause or halt of some activity.
   • The length of the stoppages could not well be reduced; indeed, they are already too short if we are to believe the tale now current of a wandering Jew sort of passenger—a lady of advanced years who can only alight from a train backwards. Every time she begins to get out a porter rushes up crying...1944 May and June, “When the Circle was Steam Operated”, in Railway Magazine, page 150
   • The brakes were specially developed by the Westinghouse Air Brake Company to provide smooth stoppages under automatic operation.1961 February, “Talking of Trains: Automated trains in New York”, in Trains Illustrated, page 78

   Synonyms:

   hiatus, moratorium, recess, break, breather, cessation, demurral, gap, caesura, halt

2. Something that forms an obstacle to continued activity; a blockage or obstruction.

   Synonyms:

   jam