moratoria
Definition
- Noun (plural form of ):
- Legal suspension of debt payments: "Moratoria" refers to official authorizations that temporarily suspend the repayment of debts, often granted by a government or legal authority.
- Pauses in activity: "Moratoria" can also mean periods during which a particular activity is officially stopped or delayed, usually due to danger or for strategic reasons.
Usage Examples
- (Multiple official suspensions of debt payment.)
- (Official pauses on a dangerous activity.)
- (Temporary halts on business activities.)
Advanced Usage
"to impose moratoria": to officially establish a temporary suspension or pause.
- The central bank imposed moratoria on all foreign currency transactions. (The bank ordered a halt to such exchanges.)
"to lift moratoria": to remove or end a temporary suspension.
- After the hurricane, the city lifted the moratoria on building permits. (The city ended the pause on construction approvals.)
Variants and Related Words
Moratorium (singular noun): a single official suspension or pause.
- A one-year moratorium on logging was announced. (A single pause on tree cutting.)
Moratorial (adj): relating to or involving a moratorium.
- The moratorial period allowed debtors to reorganize their finances. (The period of suspension.)
Synonyms
- Suspensions: temporary stops or pauses.
- Halts: complete stops, often temporary.
- Freezes: official prohibitions on movement or activity.
- Stays: legal postponements of proceedings.
Related Idioms
Put a hold on: to temporarily stop something.
- The board put a hold on all new hiring. (They paused recruitment.)
Call a timeout: to temporarily stop an activity (informal).
- The negotiators called a timeout to review their positions. (They paused discussions.)