stopcock

IPA: stˈɑpkɑk

A valve, tap or faucet which regulates the flow of liquid or gas through a pipe.
(Britain) A main shutoff for water to a home from a municipal supply. Usually these valves exist in pairs, one outside the property boundary and one inside the property boundary.

(transitive) To control the gas pressure in (an oil well) by keeping the well closed in and the gas confined except during set intervals when the oil is flowed or pumped.

Examples of "stopcock" in Sentences

Tom tried to shut off the flow, but the stopcock would not turn.
I'm a better listener than I am storyteller, but at home I have a stopcock to control who dips into my well.
Then he adjusted the tank valve to a suitable pressure and opened the stopcock, to draw off a small amount of oxygen.
It was wired to the cap nut on the tank, and included a pressure gauge, stopcock, and the necessary threaded fittings for attachment.
My brother Edmond found the thing in an antique shop and turned the tusks into gas jets controlled by a stopcock under the creature's chin.
In one instance I tracked down a plaintive newt-song I kept hearing in the garden to the flooded depths of a pipe sunk in the lawn with a water stopcock at the bottom.
The funniest one was a buret that I ordered just glassware with a stopcock that the Fisher folks felt moved to put inside a large box with a skull-and-crossbones on it.
When at last a stopcock is opened, and the compressed air is allowed to escape suddenly, the upward pressure from within is removed and the cylinder, by its own weight, forces itself deeply into the sand.