Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stop up

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.47 in modern English

Syllables: stop up
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fill a hole or cavity, or block (an opening or passage), as with a plug.

verb

To permanently close or block (a road or path); to legally extinguish a right of way.

British usage

verb

To increase the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a higher number to an f/stop represented by a lower number and causing more light to pass into the camera.

Example Sentences

"So then we […] scratched around and found an old tin washpan, and stopped up the holes as well as we could."
"To stop down means to narrow the aperture; to stop up or open up means to expand it."

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

stops up (present, singular) stopping up (participle, present) stopped up (participle, past) stopped up (past)

Frequently Paired Words

plug up stop off block off close off

Synonyms

plug secure

Antonyms

stop down

Questions

What does stop up mean?: To fill a hole or cavity, or block (an opening or passage), as with a plug.

How to pronounce stop up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “stop up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “stop up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “stop up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.