standoff

1 of 3

noun

stand·​off ˈstand-ˌȯf How to pronounce standoff (audio)
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
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

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
Feds reject a private company's plan to build hydropower projects on the Navajo Nation Arizona Senate passes bill to allow Ten Commandments in public school classrooms Tempe detectives say Charles Ryan received preferential treatment after standoff What does Arizona law say about IVF embryos? Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 The standoff between Texas and the Biden administration is taking place in federal court. Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The standoff, which began earlier this month, initially saw recordings owned or distributed by UMG removed from the platform, but now is extending to a much larger number of songs by including those published by the company. Variety, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 The standoff between TikTok and Universal Music Group expanded to the major label behemoth’s publishing arm today, Variety reports. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2024 The standoff, which began earlier this month, initially saw recordings owned by UMG removed from the platform, but now is extending to a much larger number of songs by including those published by the company. Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024 The standoff lasted several hours, and McCardell continued threatening deputies with his gun while holding his children, deputies said, WRDW reported. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 The first is a tense standoff between brothers-in-law Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Bill Smith (Jason Isbell), both married to Osage women, while the second is a dramatic explosion — organized, in part, by Ernest — that kills Smith and his wife. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024 The standoff over the body has led to an outpouring of support for Mr. Navalny’s family by celebrities, who have released videos demanding that Russian authorities hand over his remains to his mother without any condition or delay. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Housewives, standing off to the side, weren’t safe: Merce was out of the purse — and speckled onto their dresses, their faces, their hair. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Hubert Point-Du Jour’s Ralph Abernathy stands off to the side and then complains that Martin treats him like an afterthought. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024 According to Truman, Circus Girl Resting was created by an artist who stood off from the portrait and threw paint at it. Diane Scharper, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 Throughout the clip, Kim never drops the weight as her trainer stands off to the side. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 5 Jan. 2024 Alexis stood off to the side, tears streaming down his face, watching his brother leave the field in a wheelchair. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2023 The video features Clarkson and the The Fast and the Furious actress taking turns shooting yellow bean bags from a corn-cob-like cannon device and laughing as executive producers and stars Blake Shelton and Carson Daly as well as host Nikki Garcia stand off to the side. Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023 This comes after Netflix’s recent reveal of the first images from the play, which showed Henry Creel (Louis McCartney) standing off with Dr. Brenner (Patrick Vaill), Lonnie Byers (Chase Brown) holding Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas) and more. Selome Hailu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023 Challenges approach, however, when the Moon stands off with stern Saturn at 12:44 pm EDT: this is a battle of the heart versus the head that can bring issues with authority figures. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of standoff was in 1591

Dictionary Entries Near standoff

Cite this Entry

“Standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standoff. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

standoff

noun
stand·​off
ˈstan-ˌdȯf
: a contest or game in which there is no winner : draw

More from Merriam-Webster on standoff

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