standoff

1 of 3

noun

stand·​off ˈstand-ˌȯf 

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

: standoffish

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

: put off, stall

Synonyms

Noun

• tie
• draw

Adjective

• detached
• distant
• cold
• remote
• cool
• dry

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

Officials in Moscow have also warned that NATO's actions against such craft would constitute a dangerous escalation of the standoff between Moscow and its Western adversaries. —David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025

This months-long standoff has allowed the Administration to escalate its campaign against Ábrego García in the press and on social media. —Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

Verb

The National Guard, police and protesters stand off outside of a downtown jail in Los Angeles following two days of clashes with police during a series of immigration raids on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025

But a toxic stand off between club and player took its toll. —Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

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

Phrases Containing standoff

• Mexican standoff

Rhymes for standoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

standoff

noun

stand·​off

ˈstan-ˌdȯf

: a contest or game in which there is no winner : draw