stop (dead) in (your) tracks
- stop (dead) in (your) tracks
- stop (dead) in (your) tracks
to suddenly stop moving or doing something.
When I heard the loud scream, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Usage notes: often used in the forms stop someone (dead) in their tracks or stop something (dead) in its tracks:
The memo was supposed to stop the protest in its tracks.
Related vocabulary: stop short
New idioms dictionary.
2014.
Look at other dictionaries:
stop dead in your tracks — stop (dead) in your tracks phrase to suddenly stop, for example because you are surprised I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who she had with her. Thesaurus: to stop movingsynonym Main entry: track … Useful english dictionary
stop you in your tracks — cause you to stop, prevent you from going further You know what will stop you dead in your tracks? A bear, that s what … English idioms
stop dead in one's tracks — If you stop dead in your tracks, you stop suddenly because you are frightened or totally surprised. When Steve saw the snake, he stopped dead in his tracks … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
dead — dead1 [ ded ] adjective *** ▸ 1 no longer alive ▸ 2 not working ▸ 3 not interesting ▸ 4 no longer relevant ▸ 5 very weak/tired/sick ▸ 6 having no feeling ▸ 7 showing little emotion ▸ 8 no longer spoken ▸ 9 complete ▸ 10 in ball games ▸ 11 when… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
dead — I UK [ded] / US adjective Word forms dead : adjective dead comparative deader superlative deadest *** 1) a) no longer alive The police don t know whether she s alive or dead. He is grieving for his dead father. I raked up the dead leaves. a dead… … English dictionary
dead — [[t]de̱d[/t]] ♦♦ 1) ADJ A person, animal, or plant that is dead is no longer living. You re a widow? Yes. My husband s been dead a year now. ... The group had shot dead another hostage. ...their dead brother. ...old newspapers and dead flowers.… … English dictionary
stop short — to stop suddenly. She ran toward him but stopped short when she saw the gun. Related vocabulary: stop dead in your tracks … New idioms dictionary
in your tracks — ◇ If you stop or are stopped in your tracks, you stop doing something suddenly or immediately. He stopped/froze in his tracks, turned, and came back. Her comment stopped me (dead) in my tracks. [=it surprised me very much; it caused me to stop a … Useful english dictionary
stop — stop1 [ stap ] verb *** ▸ 1 prevent something ▸ 2 no longer do something ▸ 3 no longer move ▸ 4 (make) work no longer ▸ 5 stay at someone s house ▸ 6 block pipe/hole etc. ▸ 1 no longer do something ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) transitive to prevent someone… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
stop — I UK [stɒp] / US [stɑp] verb Word forms stop : present tense I/you/we/they stop he/she/it stops present participle stopping past tense stopped past participle stopped *** Get it right: stop: When you want to say that someone is no longer doing… … English dictionary