Question:

[conuly]

What difference, if any, is there between telling somebody “stop” and “time-out”?

Comments

[erinptah]

"Time out" means "pause the thing you're doing, we need to do some kind of recharging or reassessment, then you can start the thing back up again."

"Stop" can be used in that situation, but it can also be used for "stop doing this thing forever," which "time out" can't.