status quo

noun \ -ˈkwō \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: status quo in a Sentence

Definition of status quo

: the existing state of affairs

seeks to preserve the status quo

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See status quo defined for kids

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 of status quo from the Web

How to Present an Authentic Self at Work as a Woman Female entrepreneurs and successful professionals are often faced with two choices: either accept the status quo or focus on breaking down barriers.

— emily cassidy /, NBC News, "In the Know: Women in the news 7/9-7/13," 13 July 2018
His executive order essentially returned the situation at the border to the previous status quo.

— maria sacchetti, Washington Post, "Trump officials: Nearly half of young migrants ineligible to reunite with parents," 12 July 2018
The status quo means a system that favors male candidates and those with the financial resources to forgo working while campaigning.

— shirley leung, BostonGlobe.com, "State law allows political candidates to expense a tuxedo, but not child care. That needs to change.," 12 July 2018
Hulu The final moments of season two of The Handmaid’s Tale don’t seem to radically shift the series’ status quo.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "The Handmaid’s Tale season 2 was masterful. But it may have broken the show.," 11 July 2018
Efforts by President Trump to shift the scales have upset the status quo for companies and their investors, rippling through the stock market.

— tom hudson, miamiherald, "Earnings energy taxed by tariffs," 5 July 2018
In other words, environmental health and stability favors the status quo.

— james degregori, STAT, "Using the principles of evolution to treat and prevent cancer," 27 June 2018
Such language, while appearing to state the status quo, worries advocates of strong rules to protect the environment and public health.

— maxine joselow, Science | AAAS, "Clean air advocates worried by EPA’s move to rethink cost-benefit calculations," 25 June 2018
As in past elections, Twyman added, voters had embraced the status quo on Election Day.

— cam simpson, Bloomberg.com, "Brexit’s Big Short: How Pollsters Helped Hedge Funds Beat the Crash," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'status quo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of status quo

Latin, state in which

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1719

in the meaning defined above

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status quo Synonyms

STATUS QUO Defined for English Language Learners

status quo

noun

Definition of status quo for English Language Learners

: the current situation : the way things are now

Law Dictionary

status quo

noun \ -ˈkwō \

legal Definition of status quo

: 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