as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
battled each other to a standstill
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Recent Examples of standstill
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, both parties said negotiations had reached a standstill because there was no need to reach a deal immediately.
—
Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Blackmon was initially supposed to report on Wednesday, a source briefed on the situation said, but didn’t show up as contract talks remain at a standstill.
—Tom Bogert, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Aerial footage capturing the moments after the truck came to a standstill shows protesters seemingly attempting to gain access to the driver as police officers removed him from the vehicle.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
The offense had slowed down to a standstill.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standstill
Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Blackmon was initially supposed to report on Wednesday, a source briefed on the situation said, but didn’t show up as contract talks remain at a standstill.
—Tom Bogert, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Aerial footage capturing the moments after the truck came to a standstill shows protesters seemingly attempting to gain access to the driver as police officers removed him from the vehicle.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
The offense had slowed down to a standstill.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standstill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standstill
halt
Noun
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Zelensky confirmed that discussions about a temporary halt in attacks on energy infrastructure took place during trilateral meetings between US, Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi last week.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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The dramatic halt may have been inevitable given how far and how fast metal prices had surged over the last year.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standstill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standstill. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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