Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

standstill

/ˈstændˌstɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.05 in modern English

Syllables: stand-still
IPA: /ˈstændˌstɪl/

11

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A complete immobility; a halt.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The wreck brought traffic to a standstill for hours."
"Despite all these precautions, however, severe storms sometimes caused drifts which brought traffic completely to a standstill."
"[...] but in the damp conditions prevailing the driver sensibly was unwilling to attempt the climb up through Combe Down tunnel without help, for fear of slipping to a standstill in the unventilated bore, [...]."
"For the caller the advantage relies on a fast solution of his service request, leading to less standstill and non-productive periods for the service customer."

Etymology

From stand + still, a deverbal from stand still. Compare Dutch stilstand (“a standstill”), German Stillstand (“a standstill”), Danish stilstand (“a standstill”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈstændˌstɪl/
British English: /ˈstændˌstɪl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

standstills (plural)

Phrases

standstill agreement

Synonyms

deadlock dead stand grind halt idle stalemate stand impasse

Antonyms

motion movement

Rhymes With

will with a will still until bill kill we'll hill till ill fill brazil

Questions

How do you pronounce standstill?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstændˌstɪl/.
What does standstill mean?: A complete immobility; a halt.
Where does standstill come from?: From stand + still, a deverbal from stand still. Compare Dutch stilstand (“a standstill”), German Stillstand (“a standstill”), Danish stilstand (“a standstill”).

How to pronounce standstill

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “standstill”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈstændˌstɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “standstill”.
Repeat and practice — Say “standstill” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.