traffic stop

noun

plural traffic stops
: an instance of police stopping a driver (as for speeding or a broken taillight)
She was pulled over for a routine traffic stop.
an officer making a traffic stop

Examples of traffic stop in a Sentence

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 criminal charges in Tennessee stem from a 2022 traffic stop that was disclosed in an April 2025 press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Laura Romero, ABC News, 22 June 2026 He was charged following a traffic stop in Windsor. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026 That's when, using Flock cameras, officers located Patterson and conducted a high-risk traffic stop based on probable cause. Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 22 June 2026 Eduardo Cruz Garcia, 39, was charged with assaulting and injuring a federal officer in connection with a van striking an immigration officer while agents in New Jersey sought to make a traffic stop. Arkansas Online, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for traffic stop

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of traffic stop was in 1953

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.

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