- a performer, performance, or musical number that wins enthusiastic or prolonged applause: The singer proves that she is simply a show-stopper after her resoundingly successful debut.
- a spectacularly arresting or appealing person or thing: This bright plaid suit is a real show-stopper.
- a significant obstacle or problem, especially one halting a process already underway: The bug was a show-stopper, delaying the game's release by months.
- a stage act, etc, that receives so much applause as to interrupt the performance
