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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
/ ˈstændˌɒf /
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
- See stand-off halfrugby 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
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Word History and Origins
Origin of standoff1
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Example Sentences
Notably, many moderates upset with Pelosi have refused to call her out by name – and make it a point criticize both GOP and Democratic leaders for the coronavirus talk standoff.
The proposed partnership, floated over the weekend, had seemed an ingenious solution for extricating the app, which counts more than 100 million American users, from a high-stakes standoff between Washington and Beijing.
Its continued connected TV distribution standoffs with Amazon and Roku.
It could even come down to an old-fashioned standoff bidding war on the floor of the City Council chambers.
The standoff between NBCU and the CTV platforms resembles the distribution disputes between traditional pay-TV providers and TV networks.
He was threatening to immolate both of them when police ended a standoff by grabbing him.
The two countries were eyeball to eyeball in a tense standoff for almost a year.
Ex-MMA fighter Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller live-tweeted a standoff with police over domestic violence charges.
Faced with this opponent, the United States has a variety of military options for using its aerial and standoff firepower.
We saw this during the recent standoff between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and federal officers.
There should not be too fine a point, however, in belaboring differences with the other examples in this regard over standoff.
It was a standoff, by my cooking and doing other camp duties and marketing our products.
My bosses they all like me, they say I am hard to beat; I give them the bold standoff, you bet I have got the cheek.
But the court will know that you have as much interest in lying as I have, and itll just be a standoff.
She was as plucky as any thing, and was putting up a great standoff when we got in our licks.
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More About Standoff
What does standoff 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 does standoff 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 ... ?
What are some other forms related to standoff?
- stand-off (alternate, hyphenated spelling)
What are some synonyms for standoff?
- deadlock
- stalemate
- impasse
- standoffish (when standoff is used as an adjective)
What are some words that share a root or word element with standoff?
What are some words that often get used in discussing standoff?
How is standoff 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) October 16, 2020
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) November 12, 2020
The legendary standoff that shook the multiverse! 😎 pic.twitter.com/K8vtSLrQuJ
— HololiveEnMemes (@HololiveMemes) November 27, 2020
Try using standoff!
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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