Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A situation in which one force or party neutralizes or counterbalances the other and further action is prevented; a standstill.
  • noun A tie or draw, as in a contest.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Holding others off; distant; reserved.
  • noun A holding or keeping off; a counteraction.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A situation in a contest in which the winner is undecided; a draw or stalemate.
  • noun A successful stand.
  • noun Something that serves to keep one object at a distance from another, such as a prop attached to the top of a ladder to keep it from leaning directly against the vertical surface which suports it.
  • adjective Serving to keep two objects or parts of a machine separated.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A device which maintains a fixed distance between two objects, especially between a surface and a sign or electrical wiring.
  • noun A deadlocked confrontation between antagonists (see stand off and verb below).
  • verb Nonstandard spelling of stand off.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided
  • noun the act of repulsing or repelling an attack; a successful defensive stand

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

stand +‎ off

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Examples

  • Emery called to say that she and William had delayed the christening once more, over a name standoff this time.

    The Little Lady Agency and the Prince Hester Browne 2008

  • Emery called to say that she and William had delayed the christening once more, over a name standoff this time.

    The Little Lady Agency and the Prince Hester Browne 2008

  • Emery called to say that she and William had delayed the christening once more, over a name standoff this time.

    The Little Lady Agency and the Prince Hester Browne 2008

  • Now, that goes along with sporadic continued violence in the town of Fallujah, and that town has been a trouble spot ever since April when U.S. forces opened fire in what they call the standoff with demonstrators, killing more than 15 and injuring dozens more.

    CNN Transcript Jun 9, 2003 2003

  • The political opposition has also criticized the government for putting Jamaica into what it calls a standoff over Coke, who is known for his loyalty to the Jamaica Labor Party.

    The Shad Plank 2009

  • The political opposition has also criticized the government for putting Jamaica into what it calls a standoff over Coke, who is known for his loyalty to the Jamaica Labor Party.

    Salon 2009

  • The political opposition has also criticized the government for putting Jamaica into what it calls a standoff over Coke, who is known for his loyalty to the Jamaica Labor Party.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 2009

  • What to watch now: How the new House Speaker handles a trio of defining challenges: The short term standoff over funding the government; the looming budget wars; and pressure from the Tea Party base to extract major "concessions" in exchange for raising the federal debt ceiling.

    The Morning Plum Greg Sargent 2011

  • And the question for the administration is can you make progress in this bigger, long-term standoff over the nuclear program and North Korea's role in the world, its belligerent rhetoric, and resolve this other issue separately, if you will, or if there is linkage, not in a way that then undermines what the president just said.

    CNN Transcript Jun 16, 2009 2009

  • To give some perspective on how serious this standoff could be, the Arabic word Taliban means student.

    CNN Transcript Jul 8, 2007 2007

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