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

Officer French was shot and killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in August of 2021. — Cbs Chicago Team, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

After conducting a traffic stop, troopers determined that the vehicle was not registered. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026

The suit states that in August 2025, Citrus Heights Police Officer Joshua Zuniga conducted a traffic stop of Kramnic without probable cause, found an active misdemeanor warrant and transported him to jail. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Miller has attacked his opponent for a 1998 arrest in which Poindexter, a teenager at the time, allegedly tried to swallow a rock of crack cocaine during a traffic stop. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 25 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