食い止める

• Reading: くいとめる
• Romaji: kuitomeru
• Kanji breakdown: 食 (shoku/ku) — bite, hold; 止 (shi) — stop, halt, prevent
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.i.to.me.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To check; to curb; to hold back; to halt the advance or spread of something; to prevent a negative phenomenon from progressing further.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb vividly evoking the image of clenching something in one's teeth to stop it from moving forward. Used to describe stopping the spread of disease, fire, a military advance, economic decline, or any undesirable progression. Often appears with institutional subjects such as officials, firefighters, or policy measures. Conveys effortful, active prevention rather than passive avoidance. A close synonym is 阻止する, which is more formal and bureaucratic.

Examples

1. 消防隊員が決死の放水活動で、延焼を何とか食い止めた。 Firefighters managed somehow to hold back the spread of the blaze through a desperate water-dousing effort.
2. 早期の隔離措置が感染症の急速な拡大を食い止めることに貢献した。 Early isolation measures contributed to halting the rapid spread of the infectious disease.
3. 急激な円安の進行を食い止めるべく、中央銀行が市場介入に踏み切った。 In order to check the rapid advance of the yen's depreciation, the central bank stepped in to intervene in the market.

Usage Guide

Context: public health, firefighting, economics, politics, crisis management

Tone: serious

Origin & History

Compound of 食い (from 食う — to bite, to hold with the teeth) and 止める (to stop, to halt). The image is of grabbing something firmly in one's teeth to prevent it from advancing further.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: All classes