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 November 12 arrest near Boston at first felt like a traffic stop – but seemed bizarre as agents already seemed to know her name, the Brazilian native said. Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025 Agents prefer traffic stops to entering homes for safety reasons. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025 Indianapolis political commentator Abdul-Hakim Shabazz made a social media post about the traffic stop rumor, but spokespeople for House and Senate Republicans did not respond to IndyStar's questions about the tweet. Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 12 Dec. 2025 Officers located Reyes's car in the 1600 block of Bluestone Street in Hanover before attempting a traffic stop. Adam Thompson, CBS News, 11 Dec. 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 18 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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