: the existing state of affairs
seeks to preserve the status quo
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 on the Web
Ross kept this regime status quo at the end of last season, and then put his wallet away.
—
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Set on a white-run construction site in West Africa, the story follows an edgy foreman anxiously awaiting his bride, whose presence meets resistance from a cocksure engineer clinging to the hyper-masculine status quo.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
In many of these cases, the incumbents or current leadership were elected to yet another term, signaling that, for the most part, SAG-AFTRA members are fairly satisfied with the current status quo.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
And, perhaps most dangerous still, these dreams of modernity shine an unwanted light on the futile hardship of the family’s status quo.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Set on a white-run construction site in West Africa, the story follows an edgy foreman anxiously awaiting his bride, whose presence meets resistance from a cocksure engineer clinging to the hyper-masculine status quo.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
In many of these cases, the incumbents or current leadership were elected to yet another term, signaling that, for the most part, SAG-AFTRA members are fairly satisfied with the current status quo.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
And, perhaps most dangerous still, these dreams of modernity shine an unwanted light on the futile hardship of the family’s status quo.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
status quo
noun
: 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
Etymology
Latin, state in which
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share