an order by the drawer of a check to his or her bank not to pay a specified check.
Origin
1915-20
British Dictionary definitions for stop payment
stop payment
noun
1.
an instruction to a bank by the drawer of a cheque to refuse payment on it
Idioms and Phrases with stop payment
stop payment
Instruct a bank not to honor a check one has drawn, as in If that check was lost, we'll have to stop payment on it before issuing another. This usage was first recorded in 1722.