: 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
This status quo of large and persistent imbalances is not sustainable.
—
Dan Mangan, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
These visceral reported accounts will help readers better understand the new ecological status quo.
—Heather Hansman, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2025
As the continent with the youngest population, Africa’s youth was crucial throughout 2024 to a series of seismic political shifts – not least the removal of incumbents and changes in the governing status quo in Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.
—Richard Aidoo, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
About 44 percent of Utahans received fluoridated water through their taps under that status quo.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
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Dan Mangan, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
These visceral reported accounts will help readers better understand the new ecological status quo.
—Heather Hansman, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2025
As the continent with the youngest population, Africa’s youth was crucial throughout 2024 to a series of seismic political shifts – not least the removal of incumbents and changes in the governing status quo in Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.
—Richard Aidoo, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2025
About 44 percent of Utahans received fluoridated water through their taps under that status quo.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 30 Apr. 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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