status quo

[kwoh]

noun

1. the existing state or condition.

status quo

/ kwəʊ /

noun

1. the existing state of affairs

status quo

1. 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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of status quo¹

First recorded in 1825–35, status quo is from Latin status quō literally, “state in which”

Word History and Origins

Origin of status quo¹

literally: the state in which

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

In two days, Beijing has unleashed a barrage of actions that threaten to derail a fragile status quo with Washington over trade and other issues, with a particular focus on semiconductors.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In response to the announcement, Google has attempted to emphasise what it sees as the advantages of the regulatory status quo.

Read more on BBC

Lai said Taiwan was determined to "maintain peace through strength" and called on China to "renounce the use of force or coercion to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait".

Read more on Barron's

Governments often made a deliberate effort to restrict trade with foreigners, because the constant change and innovation trade brings can upset the status quo.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With four words—“What hath God wrought!”—sent over the first working electric telegraph wire in 1844, Samuel Morse helped change the status quo, and helped catapult New York into a leading position.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• state of affairs www.thesaurus.com
• status