: 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
The relative status quo means that Ursula von der Leyen, the current president of the European Commission, will likely be reelected by the new EU Parliament to another term.
—
Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2024
The return of Hamas and status quo? Hamas, which nearly eight months into the conflict is still fighting Israel and launching attacks, has proposed its own plan for ending the war and retaining some control over Gaza.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
The pervasive nature of modern technology makes surveillance easier than ever before, while each successive generation of the public is accustomed to the privacy status quo of their youth.
—Barath Raghavan, IEEE Spectrum, 3 June 2024
Fundamentally, South African voters now face a choice between an unsatisfactory status quo and an uninspiring range of alternatives.
—Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for status quo 
Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2024
The return of Hamas and status quo? Hamas, which nearly eight months into the conflict is still fighting Israel and launching attacks, has proposed its own plan for ending the war and retaining some control over Gaza.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024
The pervasive nature of modern technology makes surveillance easier than ever before, while each successive generation of the public is accustomed to the privacy status quo of their youth.
—Barath Raghavan, IEEE Spectrum, 3 June 2024
Fundamentally, South African voters now face a choice between an unsatisfactory status quo and an uninspiring range of alternatives.
—Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 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 17 Jun. 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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