Looking up...
arrêter
/a.ʁɛ.te/
What does "arrêter" mean?
to stopArrête de parler!
Stop talking!
How to use "arrêter" correctly?
neutral
to stop an action or movement
Il faut arrêter de fumer.
You need to stop smoking.
La pluie s'est arrêtée.
The rain has stopped.
Used for both physical actions and abstract concepts (e.g., habits, processes).
Law
formal
to arrest (someone)
La police a arrêté le suspect.
The police arrested the suspect.
Primarily used in legal contexts.
Technology
technical
to turn off (a device)
Arrêtez la machine immédiatement!
Turn off the machine immediately!
Common in instructions for electronic devices.
Collocations
arrêter de faire quelque choseto stop doing somethings'arrêterto stop oneselfarrêter une voitureto stop a car
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Mistakes
Avoid using 'arrêter' for 'to arrest' in everyday contexts—it's primarily legal. For devices, 'éteindre' (to turn off) is more specific.
Gold Rule
Reflexive Use
Use 's'arrêter' when the subject stops itself (e.g., 'La voiture s'est arrêtée' = 'The car stopped').
Word Origin
From Old French 'arester' (12th c.), from Vulgar Latin '*arrestāre*', from Latin 'ad-' (to) + 'restāre' (to remain, stop). Related to 'rester' (to stay) and 'résister' (to resist).
Usage Notes
Can be used reflexively ('s'arrêter' = to stop oneself). In informal speech, 'stopper' is sometimes used as a synonym but is less formal.
Word Breakdown
ar-
intensifier/prefix
prefix-rêt-
rest, halt
root-er
verb infinitive suffix
suffixDictionnaire Français-Anglais