English

Alternative forms

• stand off
• stand-off

Noun

standoff ‎(plural standoffs)

1. A device which maintains a fixed distance between two objects, especially between a surface and a sign or electrical wiring.
   • 2014, Wikipedia, Insulator (electricity)

     Feedlines attaching antennas to radio equipment, particularly twin lead type, often must be kept at a distance from metal structures. The insulated supports used for this purpose are called standoff insulators.

2. A deadlocked confrontation between antagonists (see stand off and verb below).

   I don't want to get involved in the standoff between those two.

   A tense standoff between demonstrators and police continued overnight.

   • 2016 May 23, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “Apocalypse pits the strengths of the X-Men series against the weaknesses”, in The Onion AV Club:

     In recent months, both Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Captain America: Civil War have offered up big, flashy superhero standoffs as feuds of ideology and stubborn will.

Derived terms

• porcelain standoff insulator
• Mexican standoff
• standoffish

Translations

Verb

standoff ‎(third-person singular simple present stands off, present participle standing off, simple past and past participle stood off)

1. Nonstandard spelling of stand off.

Usage notes

• For many English verb-particle idioms, including stand off, the plain form is sometimes written solid (in this case, as standoff). However, this is not usually considered correct, and generally does not occur in the other verb forms (such as standing off).