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standoff
[ stand-awf, -of ]
noun
- a standing off or apart; aloofness.
- a tie or draw, as in a game.
- something that counterbalances.
- a prop for holding the top of a ladder away from the vertical surface against which it is leaning.
- Electricity. an insulator that supports a conductor above a surface.
adjective
- standing off or apart; aloof; reserved:
an uncordial and standoff manner.
standoff
/ ˈæԻˌɒ /
noun
- the act or an instance of standing off or apart
- a deadlock or stalemate
- any situation or disposition of forces that counterbalances or neutralizes
- rugby short for stand-off half
verb
- intr to navigate a vessel so as to avoid the shore, an obstruction, etc
- tr to keep or cause to keep at a distance
- intr to reach a deadlock or stalemate
- tr to dismiss (workers), esp temporarily
Word History and Origins
Origin of standoff1
Example Sentences
Analysts stated that the greenback’s performance hinges on the outcome of the U.S.-China standoff, which hasn’t seen much progress in recent weeks.
The driver, an unidentified woman, was taken into custody after 12:30 p.m. while TV news helicopters broadcast the standoff live overhead.
Meanwhile, Trump escalated his standoff with China, hiking levies on Chinese imports — except, he later said, on electronics such as smartphones and laptops — to 145%.
Meanwhile, Trump escalated his standoff with China, raising duties on Chinese imports to 145% — a move that prompted Beijing to retaliate by raising its levies on U.S. goods to 125%.
Hundreds of bin workers began an all-out strike on 11 March in a standoff with the Labour-run council that has led to bin bags and fly-tipped rubbish piling up on streets.
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More About Standoff
doesstandoff mean?
A standoff is a situation in which no progress can be made or people are prevented from taking further action. Close synonyms are stalemate and deadlock.
Such a standoff often involves two or more opposing sides that refuse to budge, back down, or change their position. A political standoff is one in which both sides refuse to come to an agreement or compromise on some policy or course of action. In the context of policing, the word standoff refers to a situation in which a person refuses to be arrested but is keeping police away by threatening violence.
In movies, the tense moment when two characters are pointing weapons at each other and waiting for the other to make a move is often called a standoff.
Standoff can also refer to what happens when a game or other competition ends in a tie or without a winner being declared.
Much less commonly, standoff can be used as an adjective to mean aloof, reserved, or unfriendly, as in The hostess greeted us in a distant, standoff manner. The adjective standoffish is more commonly used to mean the same thing.
Standoff is sometimes hyphenated, as stand-off.
Example: The old enemies stared at each other in a tense standoff, both of them refusing to give an inch.
Where doesstandoff come from?
The first records of the term standoff come from the 1830s. It comes from the verb phrase stand off, which means to maintain a distance or to reach a stalemate.
The word standoff is often used in the context of tense or seemingly hopeless situations in which two opposing sides are not willing to negotiate or change their positions even a little. It’s especially used in the contexts of politics and policing.
Did you know ... ?
are some other forms related to standoff?
- stand-off (alternate, hyphenated spelling)
are some synonyms for standoff?
- deadlock
- stalemate
- impasse
- standoffish (when standoff is used as an adjective)
are some words that share a root or word element with standoff?
are some words that often get used in discussing standoff?
How isstandoff used in real life?
Standoff is especially used in the contexts of politics and policing.
I just found out after a 10 month standoff, my mom finally agreed to call my baby nephew by his name. She thought his name was stupid and had a one person protest to change it.
— Solomon Georgio (@solomongeorgio)
I accidentally scared my niece with a roomba earlier and she has now decided to have a standoff with it for 5 mins
— Evvy 🎈🎈🎈 (@Evvobevvo)
The legendary standoff that shook the multiverse! 😎
— HololiveEnMemes (@HololiveMemes)
Try usingstandoff!
Is standoff used correctly in the following sentence?
It was a close match, and it ended in a standoff, with neither side being able to secure victory.
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