Mexican standoff

Definition of Mexican standoffnext
as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in in the battle over bedtime the parents and their son are at a Mexican standoff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of Mexican standoff The top echelon of Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has dissolved into a circle of mutual recrimination and enmity worthy of a Mexican standoff from a Quentin Tarantino film. The Editors, National Review, 28 Apr. 2025 Ahmet Şık, a former journalist and an opposition MP, likened the situation to a Mexican standoff, a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory. Guney Yildiz, Forbes, 24 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mexican standoff
halt
Noun
  • The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and the 17 states that sued California over its packaging law aimed at reducing plastic waste filed a request last week for a temporary halt to the rollout of the policy.
    Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Far from transforming the country’s politics, however, this dominance has ground it to a halt.
    Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mexican standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mexican%20standoff. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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