standstill
noun
stand·still
ˈstan(d)-ˌstil 
: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : stop
brought traffic to a standstill
Examples of standstill in a Sentence
The accident brought traffic to a standstill.
battled each other to a standstill
Recent Examples on the Web
Then Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill and Florida still hasn't fully recovered.
—
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
With Trump’s reciprocal tariffs against dozens of U.S. trading partners due to hit Wednesday, the Wall Street investment bank sees gross domestic product growth coming to a near standstill and core inflation ending the year well above the central bank’s 2% target.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
The Speaker on Sunday struck a deal on proxy voting with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) that last week brought the entire chamber to a standstill.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025
Without Wilcox and Harris, the five-member NLRB and three-member Merit Systems Protection Board do not have enough members to decide cases, bringing much of the work of the agencies to a standstill.
—Erin Mansfield, Usa Today and Jonathan Stempel and Daniel Wiessner, Reuters, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
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Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
With Trump’s reciprocal tariffs against dozens of U.S. trading partners due to hit Wednesday, the Wall Street investment bank sees gross domestic product growth coming to a near standstill and core inflation ending the year well above the central bank’s 2% target.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
The Speaker on Sunday struck a deal on proxy voting with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) that last week brought the entire chamber to a standstill.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025
Without Wilcox and Harris, the five-member NLRB and three-member Merit Systems Protection Board do not have enough members to decide cases, bringing much of the work of the agencies to a standstill.
—Erin Mansfield, Usa Today and Jonathan Stempel and Daniel Wiessner, Reuters, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standstill
Cite this Entry
“Standstill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standstill. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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Medical Definition
standstill
noun
stand·still
ˈstand-ˌstil
: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : arrest
cardiac standstill
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