as in halt
a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in
in the battle over bedtime the parents and their son are at a Mexican standoff
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Recent Examples of Mexican standoff
The top echelon of Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has dissolved into a circle of mutual recrimination and enmity worthy of a Mexican standoff from a Quentin Tarantino film.
—
The Editors, National Review, 28 Apr. 2025
This week, Todd S. Purdum, a longtime political reporter for The New York Times, explains why Democrats have only themselves to blame for the Mexican standoff they’re now locked in with a very stubborn octogenarian.
—airmail.news, 13 July 2024
This is going to be a Mexican standoff relationship.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2022
Ahmet Şık, a former journalist and an opposition MP, likened the situation to a Mexican standoff, a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.
—Guney Yildiz, Forbes, 24 May 2021
The Editors, National Review, 28 Apr. 2025
This week, Todd S. Purdum, a longtime political reporter for The New York Times, explains why Democrats have only themselves to blame for the Mexican standoff they’re now locked in with a very stubborn octogenarian.
—airmail.news, 13 July 2024
This is going to be a Mexican standoff relationship.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 20 Oct. 2022
Ahmet Şık, a former journalist and an opposition MP, likened the situation to a Mexican standoff, a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory.
—Guney Yildiz, Forbes, 24 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mexican standoff
halt
Noun
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This marked the end of the strike, which brought the San Francisco Unified School District to a halt for the first time in over 45 years.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Doja Cat‘s South African homecoming may have been brought to a halt when Hey Neighbour festival canceled its 2025 staging, but the Grammy winner will finally get to visit her motherland this spring.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mexican standoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mexican%20standoff. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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