: 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
There isn't enough time to establish a stable new status quo, much less let fans get to know the new people in his life.
—
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Instead, he has been banned from politics for a decade, and Move Forward was forced to disband by a court determined to defend many aspects of the political status quo.
—Jeffrey Wasserstrom, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
More stock market news: Stock market turns green after the open as jobs report keeps Fed at status quo
Nasdaq joins rival exchanges like Cboe Global Markets CBOE.Z and Intercontinental Exchange ICE.N, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, in planning extended trading hours.
—Manya Saini, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
The umbrella creates a status quo that gives ISIS more room to operate and is tantamount to a forever war.
—Robert S. Ford, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Instead, he has been banned from politics for a decade, and Move Forward was forced to disband by a court determined to defend many aspects of the political status quo.
—Jeffrey Wasserstrom, NPR, 8 Mar. 2025
More stock market news: Stock market turns green after the open as jobs report keeps Fed at status quo
Nasdaq joins rival exchanges like Cboe Global Markets CBOE.Z and Intercontinental Exchange ICE.N, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, in planning extended trading hours.
—Manya Saini, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
The umbrella creates a status quo that gives ISIS more room to operate and is tantamount to a forever war.
—Robert S. Ford, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Articles Related to status quo
Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
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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