standoff 1 of 3

1
as in tie
a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other after two hours they had played to a 5-5 standoff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in the standoff continued for three days before the fugitive gave himself up to the authorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

standoff

2 of 3

adjective

stand off

3 of 3

verb

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 stand off
Noun
Information may come in to challenge your worldview when Mars stands off with Pluto. Usa Today, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025 Everything felt familiar about the first as Victor Kristiansen stood off Ethan Nwaneri, allowing a dangerous cross to be clipped in. Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Sending out a drone ahead of officers could help prevent dangerous standoffs, informing responding officers whether a suspect is armed or not, according to Gerges Shields, who served on an internal work group that crafted the new policy. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025 After a three-hour standoff, management relented and allowed the family to stay two more nights. Spencer Norris, ProPublica, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for stand off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stand off
Noun
  • Netanyahu told reporters Sunday that there was an opportunity to forge new diplomatic ties with additional unspecified countries.
    James Hider, NPR, 7 July 2025
  • And in the spirit of Texas, it’s got a lot of features that proudly display its ties to the longhorn state.
    Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
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
Adjective
  • The house features four bedrooms and one bathrooms. 2. $9.7 million, single-family residence in the 100 block of Pineview Lane A sale has been finalized for the detached house in the 100 block of Pineview Lane in Menlo Park.
    Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
  • Prices hold steady Home prices remained stable, with the median sale price for a detached home rising about 1 percent month-over-month to $665,000.
    Sara B. Hansen, Denver Post, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • But that wasn’t always the case, and this past week NESN turned back the clock and gave Red Sox fans a different kind of viewing experience.
    Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025
  • Mahomes and the Chiefs will have a new-look offense with hopes that Travis Kelce could tap into his younger self and turn back the clock to help the team back to the Super Bowl.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • Island Pier is uniquely positioned to benefit from a similar ecotourism draw.
    Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Meslier’s errors in the March 29 draw with Swansea City proved to be the final straw for the manager, but the Frenchman is understood to have held his hands up post-match.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Turner spent a decade in Indiana, but the NBA's two-time blocks leader seemed to be at an impasse with his state of affairs in Indianapolis.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • But, until this year, there was little movement due to the impasse between Amazon executives and the longtime shepherds of all things Bond, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
    Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • For mid-century home buyers, the costs of our suburban revolution were distant.
    Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 July 2025
  • Since his 1938 debut in Action Comics No. 1, one home for Superman has been America, even though he was born on a distant planet.
    Samantha Baskind, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the U.S. central bank has held off on lowering interest rates this year because of President Trump's tariffs.
    Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 1 July 2025
  • The threatening skies thankfully held off until the final looks walked.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stand off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stand%20off. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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