stone|ware /stoʊ nweə r / N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Stoneware is hard clay pottery which is baked at a high temperature. □ …hand-painted blue-and-white stoneware.
sto ne-washed also stonewashed ADJ Stone-washed jeans are jeans which have been specially washed with small pieces of stone so that when you buy them they are fairly pale and soft.
stone|work /stoʊ nwɜː r k/ N‑UNCOUNT Stonework consists of objects or parts of a building that are made of stone. □ …the crumbling stonework of the derelict church.
stony /stoʊ ni/ (stonier , stoniest )
1 ADJ Stony ground is rough and contains a lot of stones. □ The steep, stony ground is well drained. □ …a stony track.
2 ADJ A stony expression or attitude does not show any sympathy or friendliness. □ He drove us home in stony silence.
stood /stʊ d/ Stood is the past tense and past participle of stand .
stooge /stuː dʒ/ (stooges ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a stooge , you are criticizing them because they are used by someone else to do unpleasant or dishonest tasks. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He has vehemently rejected claims that he is a government stooge.
stool /stuː l/ (stools )
1 N‑COUNT A stool is a seat with legs but no support for your arms or back. □ O'Brien sat on a bar stool and leaned his elbows on the counter.
2 PHRASE If someone has fallen between two stools , they are unable to decide which of two courses of action to take and as a result they have not done either of them successfully.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Stools are the pieces of solid waste matter that are passed out of a person's body through their bowels. [mainly MEDICAL ]
stoop /stuː p/ (stoops , stooping , stooped )
1 VERB If you stoop , you stand or walk with your shoulders bent forwards. □ [V ] She was taller than he was and stooped slightly. ● N‑SING Stoop is also a noun. □ He was a tall, thin fellow with a slight stoop. ● stoop|ing ADJ [usu ADJ n] □ …a slender slightly stooping American.
2 VERB If you stoop , you bend your body forwards and downwards. □ [V ] He stooped to pick up the carrier bag of groceries. □ [V + over ] Two men in shirt sleeves stooped over the car. □ [V down/over ] Stooping down, he picked up a big stone and hurled it.
3 VERB If you say that a person stoops to doing something, you are criticizing them because they do something wrong or immoral that they would not normally do. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + to ] He had not, until recently, stooped to personal abuse. □ [V adj] How could anyone stoop so low?
4 N‑COUNT A stoop is a small platform at the door of a building, with steps leading up to it. [AM ] □ They stood together on the stoop and rang the bell.
stop ◆◆◆ /stɒ p/ (stops , stopping , stopped )
1 VERB If you have been doing something and then you stop doing it, you no longer do it. □ [V v-ing] He can't stop thinking about it. □ [V v-ing] I've been told to lose weight and stop smoking. □ [V v-ing] I stopped working last year to have a baby. □ [V n] Does either of the parties want to stop the fighting? □ [V ] She stopped in mid-sentence.
2 VERB If you stop something happening, you prevent it from happening or prevent it from continuing. □ [V n] He proposed a new diplomatic initiative to try to stop the war. □ [be V -ed] If the fire isn't stopped, it could spread to 25,000 acres. □ [V n v-ing] I think she really would have liked to stop us seeing each other. □ [V n + from ] Motherhood won't stop me from pursuing my acting career.
3 VERB If an activity or process stops , it is no longer happening. □ [V ] The rain had stopped and a star or two was visible over the mountains. □ [V ] The system overheated and filming had to stop.
4 VERB If something such as machine stops or is stopped , it is no longer moving or working. □ [V ] The clock had stopped at 2.12 a.m. □ [V n] Arnold stopped the engine and got out of the car.
5 VERB When a moving person or vehicle stops or is stopped , they no longer move and they remain in the same place. □ [V ] The car failed to stop at an army checkpoint. □ [V ] He stopped and let her catch up with him. □ [V n] The event literally stopped the traffic.
6 N‑SING If something that is moving comes to a stop or is brought to a stop , it slows down and no longer moves. □ People often wrongly open doors before the train has come to a stop. □ He slowed the car almost to a stop.
7 VERB If someone does not stop to think or to explain, they continue with what they are doing without taking any time to think about or explain it. □ [V to-inf] She doesn't stop to think about what she's saying. □ [V to-inf] There is something rather strange about all this if one stops to consider it. □ [V ] People who lead busy lives have no time to stop and reflect.
8 VERB If you say that a quality or state stops somewhere, you mean that it exists or is true up to that point, but no further. □ [V adv] The cafe owner has put up 'no smoking' signs, but thinks his responsibility stops there.
9 N‑COUNT A stop is a place where buses or trains regularly stop so that people can get on and off. □ They waited at a bus stop.