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
The department’s traffic unit has seen a 17% increase in traffic stops, with a 23% increase in traffic stops where citations are issued.
—
Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
Along roads across the nation — including in Missouri and Kansas — routine traffic stops like this have been turning into life-changing immigration cases, where people are detained for minor violations and jailed indefinitely before possibly being deported.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
The woman was able to escape to a nearby house after a struggle, and Cooley was arrested at a traffic stop.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The officers pulled their cruiser in front of the vehicle and turned on their blue lights to initiate a traffic stop.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traffic stop
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Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
Along roads across the nation — including in Missouri and Kansas — routine traffic stops like this have been turning into life-changing immigration cases, where people are detained for minor violations and jailed indefinitely before possibly being deported.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
The woman was able to escape to a nearby house after a struggle, and Cooley was arrested at a traffic stop.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The officers pulled their cruiser in front of the vehicle and turned on their blue lights to initiate a traffic stop.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traffic stop
Cite this Entry
“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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