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 News of her arrest comes months after the district attorney’s office decided not to prosecute another deputy also accused of stealing from a driver during a traffic stop. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024 Elders is accused of shooting Lott during a traffic stop, then fleeing the scene and eventually kidnapping 60-year-old Robin Waddell, stealing her pickup truck then killing her. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024 Ross Bartlett, 54, was sitting in his police cruiser during a traffic stop near Ceresco on April 12 when he was hit by a pickup truck, Nebraska State Patrol said in a news release. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024 According to preliminary information, the incident started when five officers assigned to a tactical unit pulled over a vehicle for a traffic stop, the accountability office said in a March news release. Omar Jimenez, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024 Those charges stem from an incident in 2016, when a Twin Falls sheriff attempted to pull over Meade’s vehicle for a traffic stop. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 7 Apr. 2024 Democrats said the types of traffic stops Memphis had banned were unnecessary for maintaining public safety. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024 On a weekend in late March, investigators, along with the California Highway Patrol, conducted a traffic stop of Bingham and two other gang members. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024 Officer Jonathan Diller was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, N.Y. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'traffic stop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of traffic stop was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near traffic stop

Cite this Entry

“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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