staunch

Compared meaning: to stop something that is flowing or happening (verb).

比较义项：使正在流动或进行的事物停止（动词：阻止、遏制、止住）。

• stem

  Used mainly for slowing or reducing a flow (blood, a tide, migration, losses); does not always mean a complete stop, and is common in news and business contexts.

  主要用于减缓或减少某种流动（如血液、潮水、移民、损失等），不一定表示完全停止，常见于新闻和商业语境中。

  The central bank raised interest rates to stem the flow of investment leaving the country.

  央行上调利率，以遏制资金流出该国。

• halt

  Used for stopping movement, an activity or a process completely, often suddenly; not specifically about a flow, and not restricted to blood or wounds.

  用于使某种运动、活动或进程完全停止，通常是突然停止；并非特指某种流动，也不限于血液或伤口。

  The referee halted the match when the floodlights suddenly failed.

  泛光灯突然失灵时，裁判叫停了比赛。

• staunch 本词

  Narrow and rather formal; used almost only for stopping blood from a wound, and can take the wound or the blood directly as its object.

  词义较窄且偏正式，几乎只用于止住伤口的血，可以直接以“伤口”或“血”作宾语。

  He tied a cloth tightly around the cut to staunch the wound.

  他用布条紧紧绑住伤口，以止住伤口的血。

Stem, halt and staunch all mean to stop something. Stem means slowing a flow, like blood or migration. Halt means stopping movement or a process completely. Staunch, formal, means stopping blood from a wound. Not compared: stem's plant sense, halt's noun sense, staunch meaning 'loyal'.

这三个词都可表示“让某物停止”，但语气和适用范围不同：stem 常用于减缓或遏制血液、潮水、移民等的“流动”，不一定表示完全停止；halt 泛指使运动、活动或进程完全停止，不限于“流动”；staunch 用法最窄，几乎只用于止住伤口的血，语气也较正式。这里不比较 stem 作名词表示“（植物的）茎”的用法，也不比较 halt 作名词表示“停止，停车站”的用法，以及 staunch 作形容词表示“坚定的，忠诚的”的用法（例句中“a staunch supporter”正是这种未被比较的形容词用法）。