status quo

noun

: the existing state of affairs
seeks to preserve the status quo

Examples of status quo in a Sentence

He is content with the status quo and does not like change. civic leaders who are afraid to do anything that might change the town's status quo
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As for what’s happening with sisters Agnes and Ada, played by Baranski and Nixon, respectively, Nixon, pipes in to reveal — just a bit — saying that things won’t be ‘status quo’ by any means for the pair. Anne Easton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 The Israeli strikes also blew up the uneasy nuclear status quo that existed in the Middle East for years while raising a daunting question: What happens if Iran decides that the only true deterrent is to build a bomb? Nik Popli, Time, 19 June 2025 In April, the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to support the existing status quo as China conducted large-scale military exercises off the coast of the island. Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 June 2025 And voters, fed up with images of store looting and open-street drug use, were clearly willing to try Prop. 36 over an unacceptable status quo. Tom Philp, Mercury News, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for status quo

Word History

Etymology

Latin, state in which

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of status quo was in 1719

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

status quo

noun
sta·​tus quo
ˌstāt-ə-ˈskwō,
ˌstat-
: the way things are now
chose to keep the status quo rather than make changes

Legal Definition

status quo

noun
: the existing state of affairs
specifically : the last actual and uncontested state of affairs that preceded a controversy and that is to be preserved by preliminary injunction compare status quo ante
Etymology

Latin, state in which

More from Merriam-Webster on status quo

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