: 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
Oklahoma has considered several paths to curbing the power of tribes and returning the state to the pre-McGirt status quo.
—
Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has disrupted this delicate status quo in profound ways.
—Max Bergmann, TIME, 29 July 2024
With every passing year, status quo spending on natural gas pipelines does nothing to fight sky-high gas bills for Marylanders and openly contradicts the state’s climate goals.
—Shawn Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
The common complaint among Israelis is that the evacuation of the north has given Hezbollah a three-mile security zone inside Israel, thus upending a status quo on the border that had more or less held since the 2006 war.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for status quo 
Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has disrupted this delicate status quo in profound ways.
—Max Bergmann, TIME, 29 July 2024
With every passing year, status quo spending on natural gas pipelines does nothing to fight sky-high gas bills for Marylanders and openly contradicts the state’s climate goals.
—Shawn Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
The common complaint among Israelis is that the evacuation of the north has given Hezbollah a three-mile security zone inside Israel, thus upending a status quo on the border that had more or less held since the 2006 war.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for status quo
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'status quo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status%20quo. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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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