: the existing state of affairs
seeks to preserve the status quo
Examples of status quo in a Sentence
He is content with the status quo and does not like change.
civic leaders who are afraid to do anything that might change the town's status quo
Recent Examples on the Web
The rapid December collapse of the Assad regime in the face of reinvigorated domestic opposition has demolished the old status quo in the Levant.
—
Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025
To Butler, Carter’s break with the SBC doesn’t exhibit forward-thinking but in fact points to Carter’s overdue acceptance of the SBC’s racial status quo.
—Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 29 Dec. 2024
The realities of the new Syria, however, have left the SDF with few options to maintain its status quo.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Apple—alongside Meta and Google—will fight hard to maintain the encryption status quo and prevent monitoring or backdoor access from being mandated.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for status quo 
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Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025
To Butler, Carter’s break with the SBC doesn’t exhibit forward-thinking but in fact points to Carter’s overdue acceptance of the SBC’s racial status quo.
—Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 29 Dec. 2024
The realities of the new Syria, however, have left the SDF with few options to maintain its status quo.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Apple—alongside Meta and Google—will fight hard to maintain the encryption status quo and prevent monitoring or backdoor access from being mandated.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for status quo
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Dictionary Entries Near status quo
Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
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status quo
noun
: the existing state of affairs
specifically
: the last actual and uncontested state of affairs that preceded a controversy and that is to be preserved by preliminary injunction compare status quo ante
Etymology
Latin, state in which
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