1
as in ties
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 halts
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
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Recent Examples of standoffs
Even the standoffs outside ICE facilities have focused on tense moments around the arrival or departure of federal vehicles.
—
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
One of the more memorable in-person music standoffs featured hip-hop collectives The LOX and Dipset at Madison Square Garden in August 2021.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
His protest joins a growing list of long-form Senate speeches used to spotlight partisan standoffs and national concerns.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
These factions do not hold stable territory, but their sporadic resistance — from raids to armed standoffs — signals the first cracks in Hamas’s grip.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The actions have led to tense standoffs between protestors and federal agents.
—Obed Manuel, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Advertisement While standoffs over spending have become routine in Washington, a shutdown of this scale has not occurred since 2013, when about 850,000 federal workers were furloughed.
—Nik Popli, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Disney made no editorial or content concessions to Sinclair or Nexstar in resolving the standoffs, according to a person familiar with the matter.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
After tense standoffs with Mallory (Crystle Stewart) and Horace's ex-wife, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), Kimmie enters the meeting and promptly takes it over, surprising the family with her mind for numbers.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
One of the more memorable in-person music standoffs featured hip-hop collectives The LOX and Dipset at Madison Square Garden in August 2021.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
His protest joins a growing list of long-form Senate speeches used to spotlight partisan standoffs and national concerns.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
These factions do not hold stable territory, but their sporadic resistance — from raids to armed standoffs — signals the first cracks in Hamas’s grip.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
The actions have led to tense standoffs between protestors and federal agents.
—Obed Manuel, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Advertisement While standoffs over spending have become routine in Washington, a shutdown of this scale has not occurred since 2013, when about 850,000 federal workers were furloughed.
—Nik Popli, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Disney made no editorial or content concessions to Sinclair or Nexstar in resolving the standoffs, according to a person familiar with the matter.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
After tense standoffs with Mallory (Crystle Stewart) and Horace's ex-wife, Olivia (Debbi Morgan), Kimmie enters the meeting and promptly takes it over, surprising the family with her mind for numbers.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standoffs
Noun
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Maintaining positive ties with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung would continue the lattice-like foreign policy encouraged by Washington, one that favors multilateral cooperation among like-minded nations over bilateral dependence.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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That’s a key finding from a new report first shared with Semafor by Global Strategy Group, a polling company with ties to Democrats and progressive organizations.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for reform of the Security Council's permanent members in his annual statement on the anniversary of the United Nations charter, arguing that the current establishment excludes key global voices and suffers from too many deadlocks.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Twice in recent years, the board spent months facing regular partisan deadlocks — first after Nathan Fletcher resigned in 2023 and again after Nora Vargas left office early this year.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Similar sticking points have led to impasses in the separate negotiation processes, now requiring a third party to assist with mediation and fact-finding.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
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Another reason is that these funding impasses are often covered by the media.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Netanyahu once shunned long wars and ground operations, aware of the cost and political capital that resulted in indecisive conclusions or stalemates.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To avoid the logistical logjams that had been predicted, the rollout is being staggered.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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The city has also removed 50 logjams from the Rouge River, Hammoud said.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advent Calendar Instead of chocolates, this advent calendar is filled with jams and honey to add some extra flavor to your favorite foodie’s holiday season.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
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Carr recalled Yamamoto getting into similar jams in Japan, and making pitches to get out of them.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Standoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standoffs. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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