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.
Ongoing litigation In recent months, more than 400 Venezuelans with TPS have been arrested during ICE check-ins and traffic stops, even though the protections were supposed to be in place before Friday’s ruling. Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2025 Authorities were able to locate his vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop when Lacy led them on a pursuit before crashing his car. Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025 Rocha shot Vasquez three times with an AR-15, including two misfires, during a traffic stop on July 19, 2022, after being pulled over for expired tags. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025 Only days after that, Homeland Security Investigations reopened its investigation into Abrego Garcia centered around a November 2022 traffic stop in Cookeville. Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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