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DictionarykiboshDecisive stop
noun / verb

kibosh

KYE-bahsh/ˈkaɪbɑːʃ/

A decisive stop imposed on something.

The solid block puts the kibosh on the toppling domino chain.

An older woman decisively stops a toppling domino chain by planting a solid block across its path; fallen dominoes end at the barrier while the remaining row stays upright.
Etymology

The word first appears in the slang phrase “put the kibosh on,” meaning to stop or end something. Its origin remains unknown despite numerous proposed explanations.

In context

Progressive Discussions240:57
they should have stopped it right then and there you know the AOL chat rooms back when it started they should have put the kibosh on it
Progressive Discussions-Open Topic Talk-Chiseler's Hall of Shame-Since 2007-Climate Change Crisis

More examples

  • The board kiboshed the proposed expansion.
  • Bad weather put the kibosh on the picnic.
  • A lack of funding kiboshed the project.

Forms

kibosh · kiboshes · kiboshed · kiboshing

Similar words

halt
Halt is an ordinary stop; kibosh is an informal, decisive cancellation or suppression.
veto
A veto rejects a proposal by authority; putting the kibosh on something can happen through any decisive obstacle.