traffic stop

noun

plural traffic stops
: an instance of police stopping a driver (as for speeding or a broken taillight)
She was pulled over for a routine traffic stop.
an officer making a traffic stop

Examples of traffic stop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In this teen drama, Carpenter plays a prep school classmate of Black student Starr (Amandla Stenberg), who witnesses a cop shoot and kill her unarmed friend after a routine traffic stop. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 23 Dec. 2024 Four state troopers extensively searched the car and repeatedly interrogated both Clayborne and Williams throughout the two-and-a-half-hour traffic stop at a gas station off Interstate 24, according to the lawsuit. Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 Villanueva, who was taken into custody Wednesday after a traffic stop, was booked on suspicion of arson of a structure and arson of personal property. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024 What's New The suspect involved in an assassination attempt against President-elect Donald Trump is facing new charges related to a crash during a traffic stop. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for traffic stop 

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of traffic stop was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near traffic stop

Cite this Entry

“Traffic stop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traffic%20stop. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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