tigil

Tigil is a common word in the Filipino language (Tagalog) that can function as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it means to stop, halt, or cease. As a noun, it refers to a pause or cessation—a momentary stopping of activity or movement.

In usage, tigil appears in everyday speech and formal writing. It can stand alone as an imperative command, such as the short exclamation “Tigil!” meaning “Stop!” It also appears in phrases like “Tigil na tayo” (Let’s stop now). The word is frequently used in discussions of actions, rules, or events that should end or pause, such as “tigil ang operasyon” (the operation should stop) or “tigil-putukan” (ceasefire).

Grammatically, tigil functions as a root verb in Tagalog and forms common tense/aspect variants. For example, tumigil is the past tense form meaning “stopped,” tinatigil can convey present ongoing stopping, and titigil expresses future stopping. The causative form tigilan means “to cause someone to stop” or “to stop someone from doing something,” as in “tigilan mo ang ganyang pag-uugali” (stop that kind of behavior).

In contemporary usage, tigil is often encountered in news and political contexts to denote cessation of hostilities or activities, such as ceasefires or pauses in operations. It also appears in everyday life to express the simple idea of stopping an activity, delaying a plan, or taking a pause.