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

Authorities arrested them during a traffic stop and later detained the third defendant during the home raid. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

Villegas González was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop. — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Miami police said the vehicle’s red and blue emergency lights were activated during the traffic stop. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Phillips was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County Monday, Kentucky State Police said. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for traffic stop

• barbershop
• countertop
• lollipop
• mountaintop
• photoshop
• tabletop
• turboprop
• atop
• backdrop
• backstop
• bebop
• blacktop