a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged
"The government declared a temporary moratorium on all evictions until housing subsidies could be fully distributed to struggling families."
suspension of an ongoing activity
"The government imposed a six-month moratorium on new drilling operations to allow time for environmental assessments."
An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
"The bankruptcy court granted a six-month moratorium on mortgage payments to help families stabilize their finances during the economic downturn."