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.
Thirty years after the killings, police identified Tony Haase as a possible suspect and staged a traffic stop to obtain his DNA. Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025 The officers followed and radioed their plans to do a traffic stop. Charlotte Observer, 21 Nov. 2025 Additionally, Matthew Huttle, a January 6 defendant from Indiana, was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop one week after being pardoned. Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025 Deputies then attempted a traffic stop. Julia Falcon, CBS News, 21 Nov. 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 26 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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