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

Hill found that Alaniz had an objectively reasonable basis for the initial traffic stop but concluded that the subsequent ALPR search violated the Fourth Amendment. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026

Miami police said the vehicle’s red and blue emergency lights were activated during the traffic stop. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Phillips was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County Monday, Kentucky State Police said. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

An on-duty Kentucky state trooper was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop on a highway Monday, authorities said. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for traffic stop

• barbershop
• countertop
• lollipop
• mountaintop
• photoshop
• tabletop
• turboprop
• atop
• backdrop
• backstop
• bebop
• blacktop