standoff

1 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 dead heat, draw, stalemate, tieRelated Words deadlock, impasse; seesaw; photo finish; horse race, toss-up

2 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 deadlock, gridlock, halt, logjam, Mexican standoff, stalemate, impasse, standstillRelated Words dead end; bind, bottleneck, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, jam, morass, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, quagmire, quandary, spot; difficulty; problem

having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others the client's standoff attitude suggested that this was going to be a strictly business relationship Synonyms aloof, antisocial, asocial, buttoned-up, cold, cold-eyed, detached, distant, dry, frosty, offish, remote, cool, standoffish, unbending, unclubbable, unsociableRelated Words indrawn, introverted, nongregarious, recessive, reclusive, reserved, unsocial, withdrawn; misanthropic; apathetic, hard, indifferent, unconcerned; clinical, dispassionate, impersonal, professional; disinterested, incurious, uninterested; reticent, silent, taciturn, uncommunicative; diffident, shy, timid; cliquey, cliquish, clubbishNear Antonyms boon, clubbable (also clubable), clubby, companionable, convivial, extroverted (also extraverted), gregarious, outgoing; communicative, expansive, garrulous, talkative; affable, folksy, genial, gracious, hospitable; agreeable, amiable, congenial, kindly, neighborlyAntonyms cordial, friendly, sociable, social, warm