食い止める・くい止める|くいとめるkuitomeru[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
食い止める食い止める is the most common written form and the recommended choice for beginners; use it as your default when you want to express this meaning.
くい止めるくい止める is less common than 食い止める. It is another kanji-and-kana spelling that you may encounter, but beginners should normally choose 食い止める.
Definitions
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto check; to hold back; to keep at bay; to stop; to prevent; to stem; to curb; to halt
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 食い止める（くいとめる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 食い止めます（くいとめます） |
| Negative (nai) | 食い止めない（くいとめない） |
| polite (masen) | 食い止めません（くいとめません） |
| classical zu / nu | 食い止めず・食い止めぬ（くいとめず・くいとめぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 食い止めた（くいとめた） |
| polite (mashita) | 食い止めました（くいとめました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 食い止めなかった（くいとめなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 食い止めませんでした（くいとめませんでした） |
| Te form | 食い止めて（くいとめて） |
| Potential | 食い止められる（くいとめられる） |
| Passive | 食い止められる（くいとめられる） |
| Causative | 食い止めさせる（くいとめさせる） |
| Causative passive | 食い止めさせられる（くいとめさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 食い止めれば（くいとめれば） |
| tara | 食い止めたら（くいとめたら） |
| Volitional | 食い止めよう（くいとめよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 食い止めましょう（くいとめましょう） |
| Imperative | 食い止めろ（くいとめろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym阻むはばむWrittenWritten. To block someone's way or progress, as in 「行く手を阻む」.
- Related留めるとどめるNeutralNeutral. Means to keep or retain something, as in 「記憶に留める」; it does not stress halting a spread.
- Related阻止そしWrittenWritten and fairly formal. Stopping something from happening, e.g. 「侵入を阻止」.
- Related押さえるおさえるNeutralNeutral. To press or hold something down, or to secure key points; 「食い止める」 focuses on stopping a spread.
- Related防止ぼうしWrittenWritten. Prevention, as in 「事故防止」; stresses forestalling something before it happens.
- Related抑えるおさえるNeutralNeutral. To restrain or keep something down, e.g. 「出費を抑える」; focuses on controlling the degree.
- Related抑止よくしWrittenWritten. Deterrence: keeping something from happening at all, e.g. 「犯罪抑止」「抑止力」; stresses prevention before the fact.
- Related押しとどめるおしとどめるWrittenWritten. To stop someone or something by holding them back; works for people or situations, as in 「被害の拡大を押しとどめる」. Overlaps with 「食い止める」.
- Relatedせき止めるせきとめるNeutralNeutral. To dam up or block a flow, also used figuratively, as in 「流れをせき止める」.
- Related差し止めるさしとめるWrittenWritten. To prohibit or halt something, e.g. 「出版を差し止める」; often in legal contexts.
- Related防遏ぼうあつWrittenFormal. To prevent and hold in check; used only rarely.
Use 「食い止める」 to stop something bad, such as a disaster or loss, from spreading, as in 「被害を最小限に食い止める」. To prevent something in advance, use 「防止」; to restrain it, 「抑える」; to halt it legally, 「差し止める」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
