Halt

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Halt

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

verb and noun

Pronunciation

hawlt  /hɔːlt/

Definition

As a verb: to stop; to bring or come to an abrupt stop; to cause someone or something to cease moving or progressing. As a noun: a stop or pause in movement or progress; a temporary cessation.

Plain meaning

To halt means to stop — suddenly and completely. A halt is the act of stopping. Used in military commands, traffic management, and everyday description of anything that stops abruptly.

Register

Neutral to slightly formal. Halt carries a more decisive, often authoritative quality than stop. It is used in official, military, and formal contexts more readily than in casual speech. Halt and catch fire is a computer instruction that intentionally triggers an error; it became famous as a name for the AMC television series about early personal computing.