status quo

[ kwoh ]
See synonyms for status quo on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the existing state or condition.

Origin of status quo

1
First recorded in 1825–35, status quo is from Latin status quō literally, “state in which”
  • Also called status in quo .

Words Nearby status quo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use status quo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for status quo

status quo

/ (kwəʊ) /


noun
  1. the status quo the existing state of affairs

Origin of status quo

1
literally: the state in which

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for status quo

status quo

The existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations: “People with money are often content with the status quo.” From Latin, meaning “the state in which.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with status quo

status quo

The existing condition or state of affairs, as in We don't want to admit more singers to the chorus; we like the status quo. This term, Latin for “state in which,” has been used in English since the early 1800s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.