halts

Halts is the plural form of halt, or a form of the verb halt. In English, halt can be a noun meaning a stopping point or a pause, or a verb meaning to stop moving or progress. As a plural, halts typically refers to multiple stopping points or events where movement is interrupted.

As a verb, halt means to stop or cause to stop. It can describe momentary interruptions or more deliberate pauses in action, process, or movement. For example, a train may halt at a station, a roadblock can halt traffic, or a project may be halted pending approval. The word is common in both formal and informal contexts and often appears with adjectives such as abrupt, temporary, or complete.

As a noun, a halt denotes a stopping place or break in travel or activity. In transportation, a halt can be a small roadside stop, a rural railway stop, or a designated place where vehicles or passengers briefly stop. In broader contexts, a halt can refer to any pause in progress, such as the halt of production or the halt of negotiations.

Etymology traces halt to Germanic roots, with related forms found in other Germanic languages. The sense of stopping or ceasing movement has developed over centuries in English, producing the verb and noun forms in modern usage. The plural halts is primarily encountered when referring to multiple stopping points or instances of stopping behavior, rather than as a distinct concept.

See also: halt, stopping, halting problem (for related terminology in computation)