1
as in stops
to bring (something) to a standstill
traffic was halted by the parade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ceases
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the private eye abruptly halted his surveillance of the building upon being spotted by his subject
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ends
to come to an end
all filming halted when the star of the movie quit in a huff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in limps
to walk while favoring one leg
even with her twisted ankle, she managed to halt along and complete her Walk for Peace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitates
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
she was often confused, halting between the responsibilities of her job and the demands of her home life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in jams
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
negotiations are at a halt, with neither management nor the union budging on the issue of salary limits
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in cessations
the stopping of a process or activity
gardening came to a halt during the week of solid rain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of halts
Emma Graham,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Weather Extremes While snapdragons prefer cool weather, extreme cold, especially a late freeze, halts blooming until temperatures warm.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay, which immediately halts most collection actions, including garnishment.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
And even if Israel halts its strikes on Iran, there’s no guarantee Tehran will reciprocate.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
But if bad weather or any other factors like an unforeseen issue with the spacecraft halts the countdown, NASA has several other backup dates available in April.
—Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 31 Mar. 2026
Global oil prices have spiked as Iran halts traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The decision halts an order by Kennedy — announced in January — to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
—Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026
Live Nation is producing the trek, which halts next Wednesday, March 18 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Automotive industry analysts are forecasting that another microchip shortage could hit in the coming months, which could increase risks for production halts as costs skyrocket.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Nerves of an energy crisis intensified over the weekend as oil producers in the Gulf announced further halts to production, with Bahrain’s national oil company declaring force majeure.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
The abrupt disruption resulted in chip shortages and production halts at several automakers.
—Sarah Jacob, Bloomberg, 14 Jan. 2026
Conflict in Yemen has prompted air traffic halts — leaving about 600 tourists stranded on a remote island.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
The fact that any soliloquy halts dramatic action also poses a challenge.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Verb
March 2 Oil and gas prices jumped during the first trading day since the strikes, as the war halts energy exports from the Middle East.
—Emma Graham,lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Weather Extremes While snapdragons prefer cool weather, extreme cold, especially a late freeze, halts blooming until temperatures warm.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay, which immediately halts most collection actions, including garnishment.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
And even if Israel halts its strikes on Iran, there’s no guarantee Tehran will reciprocate.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
But if bad weather or any other factors like an unforeseen issue with the spacecraft halts the countdown, NASA has several other backup dates available in April.
—Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 31 Mar. 2026
Global oil prices have spiked as Iran halts traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The decision halts an order by Kennedy — announced in January — to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
—Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026
Live Nation is producing the trek, which halts next Wednesday, March 18 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
Former leaders warn that the loss of institutional knowledge, combined with halts to the incoming pipeline of public health workers, may lead to a long-term crisis.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Automotive industry analysts are forecasting that another microchip shortage could hit in the coming months, which could increase risks for production halts as costs skyrocket.
—Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Nerves of an energy crisis intensified over the weekend as oil producers in the Gulf announced further halts to production, with Bahrain’s national oil company declaring force majeure.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
The abrupt disruption resulted in chip shortages and production halts at several automakers.
—Sarah Jacob, Bloomberg, 14 Jan. 2026
Conflict in Yemen has prompted air traffic halts — leaving about 600 tourists stranded on a remote island.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
The fact that any soliloquy halts dramatic action also poses a challenge.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for halts
Noun
-
The outing wasn’t free of some jams, but Wright worked out of them with poise.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Arndt allowed baserunners in each of the first five innings but wiggled out of most of the jams.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Having killed Downey, Amos cuts one of his deadlocks and puts it in Axel’s little red book.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
-
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for reform of the Security Council's permanent members in his annual statement on the anniversary of the United Nations charter, arguing that the current establishment excludes key global voices and suffers from too many deadlocks.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These periods tend to bring sudden news, endings, breakthroughs or a turning point.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Word endings did a lot more grammatical work, and verbs followed more complicated patterns.—
Valerie M. Fridland,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bollards at the ends of each section will permanently keep errant (or malicious) drivers out of the median.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Others — the dreamers and grinders, as Spencer Nusbaum described yesterday — have to take second jobs to make ends meet while toiling away in minor-league baseball.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a lot of deus ex machina resolution of tight binds, things that happen off-screen and are waved away.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Over this 18-day period, the SMH closed higher in 17 out of 18 closes.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Here are seven moves worth making before the warm weather window closes.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The madman strategy is for not-crazy leaders caught in adverse predicaments.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Journeys that used to take entire seasons were being covered in single episodes, characters survived predicaments that once meant surefire death, and previously relevant factors like supplies, infrastructure, and alliances no longer mattered.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Halts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/halts. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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