standstill

noun

stand·​still ˈstan(d)-ˌstil 

: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : stop

brought traffic to a standstill

Synonyms

• halt

Examples of standstill in a Sentence

The accident brought traffic to a standstill.

battled each other to a standstill

Recent Examples on the Web

Just a mile out of Fairfield, two vehicles collided, bringing traffic to a standstill. —Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Mercury News, 3 July 2025

Voting had come to a standstill, dragging for more than three hours, with holdout senators huddling for negotiations and taking private meetings off the Senate floor. —Ani Freedman, Fortune, 29 June 2025

Tense scenes played out in the chamber as voting came to a standstill, dragging on for hours as holdout senators huddled for negotiations. —Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025

But the tense scene as voting came to a standstill for more than three hours Saturday night let the internal discord play out in public. —Lisa Mascaro, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing standstill

• crawl to a stop/standstill

Rhymes for standstill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• downhill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill

Kids Definition

standstill

noun

stand·​still -ˌstil 

: a state marked by absence of motion or activity : stop

traffic was at a standstill

Medical Definition

standstill

noun

stand·​still ˈstand-ˌstil 

: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : arrest

cardiac standstill