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

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that ICE had suspended traffic stops after two fatal shootings over the last week. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Silverio Villegas González Silverio Villegas González, 38, died on September 12, 2025, after being shot by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in Chicago. — Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

On July 7, a Mexican national, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was fatally shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop in Houston. — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 14 July 2026

Federal and National Guard personnel work closely with local and state law enforcement in Memphis under the task force, often responding to relatively routine events, like traffic stops and 911 calls, alongside them. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 July 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