infrequent stops

USAGE SUMMARY

"infrequent stops" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe situations where stops occur rarely or not often. Example: "The bus service is known for its infrequent stops, making it less convenient for commuters." Alternative expressions include "rare stops" and "occasional stops."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Although they mostly continued to sleep in the wood shelters, the pair began to take infrequent stops at hostels in the booniest of boonie AT towns.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Of particular relevance to the current findings is the increased BOLD response in the right VLPFC during the suppression of a routine motor output following an infrequent stop cue [30], [31].

Plosone

This is especially important when examining response inhibition in commonly used go/no-go and stop signal tasks, as relatively infrequent stop or no-go stimuli are typically compared with frequent go trials.

Human Brain Mapping

Increased fluctuations in motivation or arousal in the ADHD patients or general group differences in these factors [Castellanos et al., 2006; Sergeant 2005] may influence responses to infrequent stop, or no-go, trials selectively as compared with go trials.

Human Brain Mapping

New Jersey's Democrats have traditionally played a minor role in the presidential nominating process: with its late primary, the state was a place to raise money, but it was an infrequent campaign stop.

The New York Times

Rest stops are infrequent for some species, however, if animals from more than one origin are rested in the same place it may allow for disease spread.

BMC Veterinary Research

Route-level variables summarized characteristics for the whole route, for variables that were likely general throughout the route (e.g., speed limit, aesthetics) or infrequent (e.g., transit stops).

BMC Public Health

The player character's movements were criticised for being jerky and prone to stopping at infrequent intervals.

Wikipedia

Stop words and infrequent words of training data were replaced by #STOP and UNK symbols.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

In motion, the digital instrument panel shows navigation information, but when you're stopped – a not infrequent occurrence in urban Japan – that data is replaced by custom artwork and pictures.

Independent

The infrequent use of the TAG stop codon is likely a consequence of the high A+T bias at the third codon position [43].

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In formal or scientific writing, this phrase is particularly effective for describing control conditions or rare occurrences in experimental trials.

Common error

Avoid using "infrequent stops" when you actually mean that the stops are short. Frequency refers to how often an event occurs, not how long the event lasts. For short durations, use "brief stops" or "short stops" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "infrequent stops" functions as a noun phrase, where the adjective "infrequent" modifies the plural noun "stops". According to Ludwig, it is used to denote a low frequency of pauses or interruptions within a given duration or distance. It is grammatically standard and follows the usual rules of English syntax.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "infrequent stops" is a versatile and standard English phrase that effectively communicates a low rate of interruption. Ludwig AI data reveals its importance in both scientific research—particularly in cognitive studies involving Go/No-go tasks—and high-quality journalism. It is most commonly found in professional and neutral registers. When writing, ensure you are focusing on the frequency of the stops rather than their duration. Using alternatives like "occasional stops" or "sporadic stops" can help fine-tune your meaning depending on how regular or predictable the interruptions are.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

rare stops

Emphasizes that the stops occur very seldom

occasional stops

Suggests a slightly higher frequency or less predictability than infrequent

sporadic stops

Implies a more irregular or scattered pattern without a fixed schedule

few stops

Focuses on the low quantity of stops rather than the interval between them

intermittent stops

Highlights a pattern of stopping and starting over time

uncommon stops

Suggests that the stops are not part of the standard routine

sparse stops

Describes stops that are widely distributed in space or time

irregular stops

Focuses on the lack of a predictable or scheduled interval

scanty stops

A more literary or archaic way to describe a very small number of stops

limited stops

Often used in transportation to mean a faster service with fewer pauses

FAQs

How do I use "infrequent stops" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe a journey or a process, for example: "The bus route was characterized by "infrequent stops", which significantly shortened the travel time."

What is a more formal synonym for "infrequent stops"?

In a scientific or formal context, you might use "sporadic interruptions" or "rare occurrences" depending on the specific nature of the stops.

Is "infrequent stops" correct or should it be "rare stops"?

Both are correct, but "infrequent stops" is often preferred in technical and formal writing to describe a low rate of occurrence within a timeframe, while "rare stops" can sound slightly more casual.

What's the difference between "infrequent stops" and "intermittent stops"?

"infrequent stops" emphasizes that the stops do not happen often, whereas "intermittent stops" focuses on the fact that the stopping and starting occurs at intervals, even if those intervals are relatively close together.