MEXICAN STANDOFF Synonyms: 26 Similar Words

Mexican standoff

noun

Definition of Mexican standoff

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

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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 motions precede understanding as the lines perpetually reverse, halt, and cascade toward discovery—more scar, than solution.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Ultimately, Cramer said his conversations at Dreamforce left him confident the industry has time to address AI’s risks without bringing development to a halt.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of halt

Browse Nearby Words

mew (up)

Mexican standoff

Mexican standoffs

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“Mexican standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mexican%20standoff. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of Mexican standoff

noun

Example Sentences

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