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

Drivers can now show a digital driver's license on their phone during traffic stops with Georgia State Patrol troopers. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Two Connecticut men have been sentenced to a decade behind bars after police found more than 20 kilograms of cocaine during a traffic stop in Trumbull. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Paz was arrested last year on several charges after fleeing from police at a traffic stop and driving at speeds up to 80 mph while firing a handgun at officers, according to the release. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 30 Oct. 2026

Authorities conducted a traffic stop in the area of Route 140 westbound and Kays Mill Road. — Cale Ahearn, Baltimore Sun, 29 Oct. 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