as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
battled each other to a standstill
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Recent Examples of standstill
In the wake of the Iranian attack on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, MarineTraffic tracking data shows an almost total standstill of vessels transiting through the waterway.
—
Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz seeing traffic plummet to a near standstill over the past few months amid concerns about Iranian attacks on ships, crude oil prices remain roughly 40 percent above pre-war levels as of Thursday afternoon.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
And, of course, the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill, the president confirmed.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
The question came as peace talks between Washington and Tehran have hit a standstill.
—Haris Alic, The Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standstill
Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz seeing traffic plummet to a near standstill over the past few months amid concerns about Iranian attacks on ships, crude oil prices remain roughly 40 percent above pre-war levels as of Thursday afternoon.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
And, of course, the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill, the president confirmed.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
The question came as peace talks between Washington and Tehran have hit a standstill.
—Haris Alic, The Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standstill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standstill
halt
Noun
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Detroit turned up the heat on defense while Orlando’s offense came to a complete halt.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
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Today, roughly half of the global ethylene and polyethylene supply is stranded, constrained, or directly affected by the halt to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial transit point for 20% of the world’s crude.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standstill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standstill. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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