Stem - English meaning

noun

A large solid piece of hard material, especially rock, stone, or wood, typically with flat surfaces on each side.

Usage examples:

A block of marble

verb

Make the movement or flow in (a passage, pipe, road, etc.) difficult or impossible.

Usage examples:

The narrow roads were blocked by cars

verb

Obstruct

noun

The hollow jointed stem of a tall grass, especially bamboo or sugar cane, or the stem of a slender palm such as rattan.

Usage examples:

They brought the eggs back to constantinople in hollow canes.

verb

Beat with a cane as a punishment.

Usage examples:

Matthew was caned for bullying by the headmaster

verb

Examine (something) in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something.

Usage examples:

Customs officers have the right to check all luggage

noun

An examination to test or ascertain accuracy, quality, or satisfactory condition.

Usage examples:

A campaign calling for regular checks on gas appliances

exclamation

Us spelling of cheque.

verb

Have or hold (someone or something) within.

Usage examples:

The cigarettes were thought to contain cannabis

noun

The power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events.

Usage examples:

The whole operation is under the control of a production manager

verb

Determine the behaviour or supervise the running of.

Usage examples:

He was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy

verb

Power to direct or determine

noun

A check or restraint on something.

Usage examples:

Plans to introduce tougher curbs on insider dealing

verb

Variant spelling of kerb.

noun

A stone edging to a pavement or raised path.

noun

A barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply.

Usage examples:

The dam burst after torrential rain

verb

Build a dam across (a river or lake).

Usage examples:

The river was dammed to form lake powell

noun

The female parent of an animal, especially a domestic mammal.

Usage examples:

One version is inherited from the dog's sire and one from its dam

verb

Make or become less.

Usage examples:

The new law is expected to diminish the government's chances

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size or importance

Usage examples:

[ i ] the threat of inflation is diminishing., [ t ] a single-payer system would diminish the burea…

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size, importance, or value

Usage examples:

If consumers start losing confidence, it will diminish demand for household goods., investors can d…

verb

Bring or come to an abrupt stop.

Usage examples:

There is growing pressure to halt the bloodshed

noun

A suspension of movement or activity, typically a temporary one.

Usage examples:

A halt in production

adjective

(of a person) having a physical disability.

Usage examples:

If a man were halt or hunch'd

idiom

Refrain from doing

phrasal verb

Hesitate to act or speak.

Usage examples:

He held back, remembering the mistake he had made before

phrasal verb

Prevent or restrict the progress or development of someone or something.

Usage examples:

My lack of experience held me back a bit

verb

Make or become less; diminish.

Usage examples:

The years have lessened the gap in age between us

verb

To become or make something smaller in amount or degree

Usage examples:

[ t ] keeping your weight down can lessen the risk of heart disease.

verb

To make something smaller, less noticeable, etc., or to become smaller, less noticeable, etc.

Usage examples:

Corporate executives are keen to embrace "green technology" in order to lessen their dependence on …

noun

The stalk bearing a flower or fruit, or the main stalk of an inflorescence.

Usage examples:

In angiosperms, trichomes may occur on leaves, petals, stems, petioles, peduncles and seed coats, d…

noun

A connecting part shaped like a stem, especially the bundles of nerves connecting parts of the brain

Usage examples:

The cerebral peduncles

verb

Make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Usage examples:

The need for businesses to reduce costs

verb

Make smaller

verb

To make something less in size, amount, degree, importance, or price

Usage examples:

A low-fat diet can reduce the risk of heart disease., grunn employs 17,900 people, but that number …

verb

Prevent (someone or something) from doing something; keep under control or within limits.

Usage examples:

The need to restrain public expenditure

verb

Put a limit on; keep under control.

Usage examples:

Some roads may have to be closed at peak times to restrict the number of visitors

verb

To limit someone's actions or movement, or to limit the amount, size, etc., of something

Usage examples:

The government has so sharply restricted his fishing that he can barely pay his crew., the state le…

verb

To limit something, reduce its size, or prevent it from increasing

Usage examples:

If they want to restrict access to their pages, privacy controls are available., restrict the sale/…

verb

Delay or hold back in terms of progress or development.

Usage examples:

Our progress was retarded by unforeseen difficulties

noun

A person who has a mental disability (often used as a general term of abuse).

verb

To make something slower

Usage examples:

Reductions in pollution levels could retard global warming.

adjective

Moving or operating, or designed to do so, only at a low speed; not quick or fast.

Usage examples:

Until recently diesel cars were slow and noisy

adverb

At a slow pace; slowly.

Usage examples:

The train went slower and slower

verb

Reduce one's speed or the speed of a vehicle or process.

Usage examples:

The train slowed to a halt

noun

The main stem of a herbaceous plant.

Usage examples:

He chewed a stalk of grass

verb

Pursue or approach stealthily.

Usage examples:

A cat stalking a bird

noun

A stealthy pursuit of someone or something.

Usage examples:

This time the stalk would be on foot

verb

Variant spelling of staunch2.

adjective

Archaic spelling of staunch1.

adjective

(of a wall) of strong or firm construction.

Usage examples:

These staunch walls could withstand attack by cannon

adjective

Very loyal and committed in attitude.

Usage examples:

A staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby

verb

Stop or restrict (a flow of blood) from a wound.

Usage examples:

He staunched the blood with whatever came to hand

adjective

Strongly loyal to a person, organization, or set of beliefs or opinions

Usage examples:

A staunch defender of free speech, she staunchly supports the party’s candidates., mike pressed har…

verb

Remain in the same place.

Usage examples:

You stay here and i'll be back soon

noun

A period of staying somewhere, in particular of living somewhere temporarily as a visitor or guest.

Usage examples:

An overnight stay at a luxury hotel

verb

Secure or steady (a mast) by means of stays.

Usage examples:

We stayed the mast on the starboard side by shifting the halyard

noun

The goods or merchandise kept on the premises of a shop or warehouse and available for sale or distribution.

Usage examples:

The store has a very low turnover of stock

adjective

(of a product or type of product) usually kept in stock and thus regularly available for sale.

Usage examples:

25 per cent off stock items

verb

Have or keep a supply of (a particular product or type or product) available for sale.

Usage examples:

Most supermarkets now stock a range of organic produce

verb

(of an event, action, or process) come to an end; cease to happen.

Usage examples:

His laughter stopped as quickly as it had begun

noun

A cessation of movement or operation.

Usage examples:

All business came to a stop

verb

Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense

noun

The main woody stem of a tree as distinct from its branches and roots.

Usage examples:

You can tell the age of a tree by the rings inside its trunk

noun

The thick main stem of a tree, from which the branches grow