halt
Pluralhalts
Pluralhalts
- 1A stop in something, for a short time or forever.
The storm brought the work to a halt.
Without any halt they marched.
Can we date this quote?, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in EnglandHere, halt means a stop or pause.UsageSay something comes to a halt, or you bring it to a halt.
Note
- 2To stop, or to make someone or something stop.
The guards halted the wagon at the city gate.
Heavy rains can halt the harvest for days.
- 3A small train station with few or no staff and little else.
A single bench was the only comfort at the windswept halt.
Halts were normally unstaffed, tickets being sold on the train.
2024, Wikipedia contributors, “Train station”Here, Halts means small train stations with few or no staff.Note
Less common meanings
- 4To hesitate or be unsure, so that you act or speak in a weak, uneven way.
How long halt ye between two opinions?
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, halt means to hesitate or waver, unable to choose.Note
- 5To be weak or faulty, as a poem or an idea can be.
Note
- 6To walk unevenly because of a hurt or weak leg.
Do not smile at me that I boast her of, For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, And make it halt behind her.
1610, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”Here, halt means to limp, so praise limps along behind her.Here comes Sir Toby halting — you shall hear more; but if he had not been in drink, he would have tickled you othergates than he did.
c. 1601, William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”Here, halting means walking with a limp.Note
- 7Lame, or not able to walk without limping.
Bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, the halt means people who are lame and cannot walk without limping.Note
- 8A limp, or trouble walking because of a bad leg.
Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
From Old English healtian, meaning 'to be lame' or 'to walk with a limp.'
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Halt derives from Old English healtian. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English healtian means to be lame or walk with a limp. en.wiktionary.org
From German halt, meaning 'stop!', from the verb halten ('to hold, to stop').
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- English halt derives from German halt, through Middle French. en.wiktionary.org
- German halt means 'stop!'. en.wiktionary.org
- German halt comes from halten, meaning 'to hold, to stop'. en.wiktionary.org
From Old English healt, meaning 'lame.'
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- English halt derives from Old English healt. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English healt means 'lame'. en.wiktionary.org
Borrowed from French halte.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- English halt, in the railway-station sense, was borrowed from French halte. en.wiktionary.org