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: used for holding something at a distance from a surface
a standoff insulator
stood off; standing off; stands off
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
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
City officials asked residents to stay away from the area while authorities engaged in a standoff that wasn't announced over until close to noon.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
As players sank into their chairs and coaches stood off to the side with their arms across their chests, Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni talked through their priorities and their burgeoning identity.
—Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for standoff
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Noun
The latest decision to impose new restrictions could further intensify that standoff, raising the stakes in an increasingly contentious debate over the military use of advanced AI.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
City officials asked residents to stay away from the area while authorities engaged in a standoff that wasn't announced over until close to noon.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Verb
Ikeda’s, which has a location in Auburn and another in Davis, started out in 1950 as a humble fruit stand off Highway 40, opened by the late Sam Ikeda.
—Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026
As players sank into their chairs and coaches stood off to the side with their arms across their chests, Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni talked through their priorities and their burgeoning identity.
—Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for standoff
Cite this Entry
“Standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standoff. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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