standoff
Americannoun
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standoffs
plural
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a standing off or apart; aloofness.
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a tie or draw, as in a game.
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something that counterbalances.
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a prop for holding the top of a ladder away from the vertical surface against which it is leaning.
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Electricity. an insulator that supports a conductor above a surface.
adjective
noun
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the act or an instance of standing off or apart
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a deadlock or stalemate
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any situation or disposition of forces that counterbalances or neutralizes
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rugby short for stand-off half
verb
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(intr) to navigate a vessel so as to avoid the shore, an obstruction, etc
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(tr) to keep or cause to keep at a distance
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(intr) to reach a deadlock or stalemate
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(tr) to dismiss (workers), esp temporarily
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of standoff
First recorded in 1830–40; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stand off
Explanation
A standoff happens when two people or groups can't move forward or proceed because of a disagreement, or when two teams have a tied score. In chess, a stalemate is a kind of standoff—when there's no way for a player to move without putting herself in check. Another example of a standoff is when two governments are bargaining or negotiating but can't reach an agreement, and so make no progress. You might see protesters and police officers in a standoff, or witness friends argue about politics and reach a standoff, where neither one will change their mind.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s next moves, the standoff between the U.S. and Iran and whether the AI build-out is oversold or overhyped have all clouded the outlook for stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is, by some accounts, named for a Zoroastrian deity destined to emerge victorious after a 9,000-year standoff with an adversary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The vote brings to an end a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration over Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The US acting attorney general said Sunday he had reached an agreement with lawmakers and issued an order officially scrapping a $1.8-billion compensation fund that has led to a standoff over his Senate confirmation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
At Verdun, meanwhile, after a summer standoff, the fighting flared up again.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
"Because of their structure, these tetrapod-shaped particles have standoffs and form porous networks instead of collapsing into clumps," said Addae.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
US senators agreed unanimously Thursday to suspend their own pay during government shutdowns, in an effort to force Congress to share the financial pain after a series of funding standoffs that upended the federal government.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Such standoffs could become a major impediment to progress at Penn Station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
At the same time, carriage negotiations with programmers are more fraught, often leading to standoffs where channels are pulled, disrupting service to customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
Such prolonged standoffs would not be necessary, however, for he sensed that his time in Chicago was nearing an end.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
