stop-and-go
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of stop-and-go
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
Legal challenges to Trump’s plans have made construction of Trump’s $400 million ballroom a stop-and-go affair.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
When officials confronted a similar dilemma, during the so-called stagflation of the 1970s, the central bank’s stop-and-go response allowed high inflation to become entrenched.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
Verstappen was in a tight fight with Norris throughout the race until the Briton was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2024
We inched comfortably through stop-and-go Saturday afternoon traffic and made an impressive left turn ahead of two lanes of oncoming cars as I said my prayers in the passenger seat.
From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024
It’s a maddening stop-and-go of straining, rearing horses, groaning oxen and mules, trying to break from the jammed pack.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
