stopped dead
Ceased all movement
Stopped dead means to halt completely and abruptly, with no gradual slowing: She stopped dead when she saw the bear on the trail.
The phrase emphasizes sudden, total cessation of movement—as motionless as a corpse.
Often appears as stopped dead in one's tracks.
- deathCessation of life
- interruptBreak in upon
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- haltComplete sudden stop
- grinding haltAbrupt, complete cessation
standstill · flinch · freeze · frozen stiff · awe-struck · caught off guard · terminate · cease · stun · rooted · impasse · derail · tracks · thunderstruck · immobilize · stone cold · paralyze · collapse
- stillnessstillness, motionless, motionlessness, immobility, unmoving
stopped deadkept going
Maintained forward motion
carried on · pressed on · rolled on · continued · moved forward
stopped deadtook off
Departed or surged
sped up · accelerated · picked up speed · bolted · launched
stopped, dead, stop, stops, stopping, stopper, stoppers, stoppage, stoppages