moratorium

noun
UK: /mɒrəˈtɔːriəm/
US: /ˌmɔːrəˈtɔːriəm/

  1. A temporary prohibition of an activity.

    1. There is a moratorium on fishing here now.
    2. The city imposed a moratorium on construction in the downtown area to ease traffic.

  2. A legally authorized period of delay in the performance of an obligation or the payment of a debt.

    1. The bank has a moratorium on debt repayments.
    2. Due to the crisis, a moratorium on loan repayments was declared by the government.

Synonyms

ban suspension stay deferment
moratorium transitive-verb

  1. To put a stop to an activity for a period of time.

    1. They will moratorium drilling until the facts are clear.
    2. The company decided to moratorium all new projects pending a review of its finances.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "moratorium" in English means: A temporary prohibition of an activity., A legally authorized period of delay in the performance of an obligation or the payment of a debt..

The phonetic transcription of "moratorium" is /mɒrəˈtɔːriəm/ in British English and /ˌmɔːrəˈtɔːriəm/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "moratorium": ban, suspension, stay, deferment.

Example usage of "moratorium": "There is a moratorium on fishing here now.". More examples on the page.