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
With law enforcement agencies deputized under state law to perform limited immigration enforcement, many times such arrests start with a traffic stop or some other routine interaction with authorities.
—
Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2026
Some of her friends have been deported after what started as routine traffic stops.
—Monique O. Madan, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
One of the high-profile cases to emerge from last year’s immigration crackdown was the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, a father of two shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last September in Franklin Park.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
Three separate violent incidents involving Oakland police officers unfolded over a 24-hour span this week, including an early Friday morning traffic stop in East Oakland that ended with an officer shooting and injuring a suspect after two officers were dragged by a car, authorities said.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 9 May 2026
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Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2026
Some of her friends have been deported after what started as routine traffic stops.
—Monique O. Madan, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
One of the high-profile cases to emerge from last year’s immigration crackdown was the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, a father of two shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last September in Franklin Park.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
Three separate violent incidents involving Oakland police officers unfolded over a 24-hour span this week, including an early Friday morning traffic stop in East Oakland that ended with an officer shooting and injuring a suspect after two officers were dragged by a car, authorities said.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for traffic stop
Cite this Entry
“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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