status quo

noun

: 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
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.
The growing push for change has been shaped by a series of cultural milestones and high-profile moments that challenged Hollywood’s status quo. Essence, 28 July 2025 Scientific reliability is swapped out in exchange for braggadocio about disrupting a medical status quo that may not even need it. Arthur Caplan & James Tabery, Scientific American, 28 July 2025 For foreign nationals abroad, however, who paid into the same Social Security system, the current status quo for NRAs means 30% withholding and no access to any deductions, including the new senior deduction. Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025 The failure of this status quo is clear to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislators who won passage of surprisingly strong revisions of the California Environmental Quality Act in late June. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for status quo

Word History

Etymology

Latin, state in which

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of status quo was in 1719

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

status quo

noun
sta·​tus quo
ˌstāt-ə-ˈskwō,
ˌstat-
: the way things are now
chose to keep the status quo rather than make changes

Legal 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

More from Merriam-Webster on status quo

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