A full stop is the dot that ends a sentence. The smallest mark in writing and the one doing the most work.
American English calls it a period. It also marks abbreviations, though British style increasingly drops those. Spoken aloud at the end of a statement it means the matter is closed, so saying that the answer is no, full stop, refuses any further discussion. Digital messaging has given it a whole new tone, since ending a short reply with one now reads as cold to a great many people.
1nounfull stopThe punctuation mark ending a sentence.
“He left out the full stop at the end of the line.”
Also accepted in games: period mark
Practised in A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 2 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word