Ending an action:
* Cease: More formal and emphatic.
* Halt: Sudden and forceful cessation.
* Terminate: Final and irreversible end.
* Discontinue: To stop permanently or temporarily.
* Quit: Informal, often used for quitting a job or habit.
* Desist: To stop doing something, especially something wrong.
* Suspend: To temporarily stop something.
Preventing an action:
* Prevent: To keep something from happening.
* Avert: To prevent something bad from happening.
* Block: To physically stop something from moving.
* Obstruct: To make it difficult for something to happen.
* Curb: To control or restrain something.
* Inhibit: To hinder or restrain something.
Requesting an action to end:
* Hold on: Used to ask someone to wait or stop for a moment.
* Cut it out: Informal, often used to express annoyance or disapproval.
* Knock it off: Informal, similar to "cut it out."
* Enough: Used to indicate that something is sufficient.
* Please stop: Formal and polite.
Other alternatives:
* Pause: A temporary break in an action.
* Break: To stop for a short time.
* Finish: To complete an action.
* Conclude: To bring something to an end.
Examples:
* Instead of "Stop talking," you could say "Please be quiet" or "Cease your chatter."
* Instead of "Stop the car," you could say "Halt the vehicle" or "Bring the car to a stop."
* Instead of "Stop smoking," you could say "Quit smoking" or "Discontinue smoking."
Remember to choose the word that best fits the tone and meaning of your message.