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 woman’s ex-boyfriend, Eduardo Magana, 48, was detained during a traffic stop in the city of South Gate in Los Angeles County, where San Diego detectives had gone to find him, homicide Lt. Arturo Swadener said in a news release. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2025 Andres Mogollon, originally from Colombia, was arrested following a traffic stop in Los Angeles, the FBI's Los Angeles division said Thursday on social media. Arkansas Online, 19 July 2025 Two Connecticut men were arrested Friday after police allegedly found multiple narcotics and weapons, including a ghost gun, during a traffic stop in West Hartford. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025 Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon was taken into custody Thursday in Los Angeles after a traffic stop in the Silver Lake neighborhood, the FBI’s Los Angeles Office wrote on X. Homeland Security Investigations assisted in the arrest. Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2025 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 24 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!