standstill

noun

stand·​still ˈstan(d)-ˌstil How to pronounce standstill (audio)
Synonyms of standstillnext
: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : stop
brought traffic to a standstill

Synonyms of standstill

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of standstill in a Sentence

The accident brought traffic to a standstill. battled each other to a standstill
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But jam open the throttle just off standstill and that front-end does get light. — New Atlas, 3 July 2026 So far, there’s no answer on that, as the Larkin sweepstakes have entered a standstill. — Michael Russo, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Gallagher said nearly all new renewable projects across the US are at a standstill. — Adam Burke, NPR, 6 July 2026 Meanwhile, sagging electrical lines threatened to bring some rail services to a standstill. — Taco Engelaar, Fortune, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for standstill

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of standstill was in 1702

Phrases Containing standstill

Rhymes for standstill

See All Rhymes for standstill

Browse Nearby Words

stand/stick out a mile
standstill
stand surety
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Standstill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standstill. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

standstill

noun
stand·​still -ˌstil How to pronounce standstill (audio)
: a state marked by absence of motion or activity : stop
traffic was at a standstill

Medical Definition

standstill

noun
stand·​still ˈstand-ˌstil How to pronounce standstill (audio)
: a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress : arrest
cardiac standstill

More from Merriam-Webster on standstill

Nglish: Translation of standstill for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All