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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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 This week, Todd S. Purdum, a longtime political reporter for The New York Times, explains why Democrats have only themselves to blame for the Mexican standoff they’re now locked in with a very stubborn octogenarian. airmail.news, 13 July 2024 This is going to be a Mexican standoff relationship. Nick Romano, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2022 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
  • About three-quarters of the way through the video, the song screeches to a halt, as the video shows four men listening to a boombox.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 5 July 2025
  • On the conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasized his push for a quick halt to the fighting, and Putin voiced Moscow’s readiness to pursue talks with Kyiv, noting the previous rounds in Turkey yielded humanitarian results.
    Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mexican standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mexican%20standoff. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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