status quo

American  

[kwoh] / kwoʊ /

noun

1. the existing state or condition.

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status quo British  

/ kwəʊ /

noun

1. the existing state of affairs

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status quo Cultural  

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.”

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status quo Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of status quo

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

status quo

The court explained that the status quo on mifepristone would remain in place until the Supreme Court deals with a certiorari petition in the case or the 5th Circuit rules on Louisiana’s current appeal.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

"Otherwise, the status quo is maintained, the farmers remain stressed and the next generation is not interested in taking up farming."

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Mobilization typically requires intensifying conflict by mounting sharp attacks on the opposition and offering new proposals that challenge the status quo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The group says current "status quo" security measures "won't be enough" and criticises the "historic under-resourcing" of security around critical infrastructure.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

There were restaurants and nightclubs, a lot of them foreign-owned, that served a mixed clientele, black people who hated the status quo and white people who simply thought it ridiculous.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Related Words

• state of affairs
• status