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 victim was picked up at Los Angeles International Airport, driven to buy drugs, and later taken to a location in Paramount where an LASD deputy would make the traffic stop and arrest. City News Service, Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026 Rodriguez, who works for the local news network Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 Nashville, was detained on March 4 during a traffic stop outside of a gym while with her husband, Nashville Noticias reported in an official statement. Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026 He was arrested in November 2024 during a traffic stop in Greeley. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026 One of the others who ran from the traffic stop also was taken into custody. Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 17 Mar. 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 26 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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