standoff

Or stand-off

[stand-awf, -of]

noun

1. a standing off or apart; aloofness.

2. a tie or draw, as in a game.

3. something that counterbalances.

4. a prop for holding the top of a ladder away from the vertical surface against which it is leaning.

5. Electricity.,  an insulator that supports a conductor above a surface.

adjective

1. standing off or apart; aloof; reserved.

   an uncordial and standoff manner.

standoff

/ ˈstændˌɒf /

noun

1. the act or an instance of standing off or apart

2. a deadlock or stalemate

3. any situation or disposition of forces that counterbalances or neutralizes

4. rugby short for stand-off half

verb

1. (intr) to navigate a vessel so as to avoid the shore, an obstruction, etc

2. (tr) to keep or cause to keep at a distance

3. (intr) to reach a deadlock or stalemate

4. (tr) to dismiss (workers), esp temporarily

Word History and Origins

Origin of standoff¹

First recorded in 1830–40; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stand off

Example Sentences

The driver remained in his car during a nearly two-hour standoff with police, until he voluntarily emerged shortly before 6 p.m. and was taken into custody.

From Los Angeles Times

Those two parties have been in a standoff over fees and distribution terms.

From Los Angeles Times

Then the officers dispersed, and the standoff resumed.

From Los Angeles Times

On Capitol Hill, there was little appetite for a deal to end the standoff on Wednesday.

From BBC

The US federal government has shut down after Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to resolve a budget standoff.

From BBC

Related Words

• deadlock 
• impasse 
• stalemate 

When To Use

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.