ชะงัก

Explanation

The core image is an action or flow that was already underway suddenly stopping in the middle. It can describe a person stopping short after hearing or seeing something unexpected, as well as a project or negotiation stalling because of an obstacle. The word does not by itself mean that the activity has ended permanently; the interruption may be brief. It is normally used intransitively. To say that something causes a process to stall, use ทำให้…ชะงัก (“cause … to stall”).

Usage

In everyday situations, it describes someone stopping short or freezing briefly from surprise, uncertainty, or fear. In news and business contexts, it is also used when construction, projects, negotiations, or economic activity stall because of an obstacle.

Caution

This word describes a change from ongoing movement or progress to a sudden stop, rather than merely being stationary. Use หยุด for stopping in general, พัก for taking a break, and ยกเลิก for canceling something entirely.

1 stop short synonyms

• สะดุด

  sadùt be interrupted

  สะดุด often means to stumble or have movement disrupted by hitting a snag. ชะงัก does not require physical contact and can describe stopping short from surprise or hesitation.

• หยุด

  yùt stop

  หยุด is the general word for stopping and can describe an intentional stop or the end of an activity. ชะงัก specifically suggests stopping short in the middle of an ongoing action.

2 stall synonyms

• ติดขัด

  ติดขัด broadly describes something being obstructed or not running smoothly. ชะงัก emphasizes that a process which had been moving forward has stalled or stopped short.

• หยุดชะงัก

  หยุดชะงัก explicitly emphasizes that an activity or process has come to a standstill. ชะงัก can express the same core idea by itself, while หยุดชะงัก is common in reports about disrupted operations or projects.