standoff

1 of 3

noun

stand·​off ˈstand-ˌȯf 

1

a

: tie, deadlock

the two teams played to a standoff

b

: a counterbalancing effect

2

: the act of standing off

standoff

2 of 3

adjective

1

: standoffish

2

: used for holding something at a distance from a surface

a standoff insulator

stand off

3 of 3

verb

stood off; standing off; stands off

intransitive verb

1

: to stay at a distance from something

2

: to sail away from the shore

transitive verb

1

: to keep from advancing : repel

2

: put off, stall

Synonyms of standoff

Noun

• tie
• draw

Adjective

• detached
• distant
• cold
• remote
• cool
• dry

Examples of standoff in a Sentence

Noun

The two governments are currently in a standoff over who has rights to the land.

after two hours they had played to a 5–5 standoff

Adjective

the client's standoff attitude suggested that this was going to be a strictly business relationship

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The incident happened during an hours-long standoff after an armed pursuit suspect crashed into a wall near a Jurupa Valley school on April 8. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

That’s why the recent standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon should concern anyone focused on America’s national security. —Robert F. Dees, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026

Verb

Already ahead on the scoreboard from the ninth minute, Arsenal could stand off and allow their opponents to work themselves into a frenzy. —Art De Roché, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026

As players started to trickle out of the clubhouse with bats and gloves in for the Cubs’ first full-squad workout yesterday, Chairman Tom Ricketts stood off to the side, taking in the scene. —Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Phrases Containing standoff

• Mexican standoff

Rhymes for standoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

standoff

noun

stand·​off

ˈstan-ˌdȯf

: a contest or game in which there is no winner : draw