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 case stemmed from an immigration-enforcement traffic stop that rapidly turned violent after agents followed Mendoza Hernandez from his home in Patterson near Modesto. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 4 May 2026 The officer conducted a traffic stop and positively identified the two people inside the vehicle as suspects. Tim Fang, CBS News, 4 May 2026 Officers spotted the vehicle in the area of San Vicente and Beverly boulevards and attempted a traffic stop, but the pickup took off, police said. City News Service, Daily News, 4 May 2026 But now the confrontation’s more likely to come from a traffic stop than a labor demonstration. Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 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 9 May. 2026.

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