standstill
n. countablen. a situation where all movement or activity stops completely. You use this when traffic, work, or a process cannot continue.
n. a state in which all motion or progress has ceased. Often follows the verbs 'bring' or 'come' to describe the cessation of a process or physical movement.
The heavy snow brought traffic to a complete standstill.
Negotiations between the two companies came to a standstill after they failed to agree on the final price.
The sudden failure of the central server brought the entire production line to a standstill, leaving hundreds of workers idle while technicians scrambled to restore power.
From stand + still, a deverbal from stand still. Compare Dutch stilstand (“standstill”), German Stillstand (“standstill”), Danish stilstand (“standstill”).
Commonly used in the singular with the prepositions 'to' or 'at', specifically in the phrases 'come to a standstill' or 'at a standstill'.