standoff
standoff — 名詞
- standoffsingular
- standoffsplural
1. A standoff is a situation in which two people or groups are firmly opposed to ea
僵局
雙方僵持無法進展的局面
A standoff is a situation in which two people or groups are firmly opposed to each other, and neither is willing to give in, so no progress or agreement is possible.
The border standoff between the two countries lasted for three weeks.
兩國之間的邊境僵局持續了三週。
collocation: border standoff
Negotiations reached a standoff after neither side would change its demands.
由於雙方都不願讓步，談判陷入了僵局。
verb + standoff: reached a standoff
The eighteen-hour police standoff ended when the suspect surrendered peacefully.
長達十八小時的警方對峙以嫌犯和平投降告終。
A tense standoff developed between striking workers and the company's security team.
罷工工人與公司保全團隊之間出現了緊張的僵局。
Union leaders tried to break the standoff by proposing a new compromise.
工會領袖試圖透過提出新的妥協方案來打破僵局。
- resolution
the opposite state where agreement or progress has been reached
- breakthrough
a sudden advance that ends the deadlock
文法句型
standoff + between [two sides]
standoff + with [someone]
用法筆記
Commonly used with verbs like 'reach', 'end', 'break', or 'resolve'. The noun is almost always singular; the plural 'standoffs' is rare.
常見錯誤
2. A standoff is an act of defending a position by forcing an attacker, opponent, o
抵禦
把攻擊者擋在遠處的防禦行動
A standoff is an act of defending a position by forcing an attacker, opponent, or unwanted force to stay at a distance.
The garrison's standoff against the invading force bought the town valuable time.
守軍對入侵部隊的抵禦為小鎮爭取了寶貴的時間。
standoff + against [attacker]
The castle walls provided a successful standoff against the siege engines.
城堡的城牆成功地抵禦了攻城機具的攻擊。
Villagers organized a standoff to keep the wild elephants away from their crops.
村民們組織了一場防衛，將野象擋在農田之外。
The goalkeeper's determined standoff kept the opposing team from scoring a single goal.
守門員堅決的抵禦讓對方球隊一球未進。
- resistance
broader, can refer to any opposition, not just keeping at a distance
- defense
focuses on protection rather than repulsion
文法句型
standoff + against [attacker]
用法筆記
Rarer than the 'deadlock' sense. Usually describes a physical defensive action rather than a negotiation situation. Subject is typically a military unit, building, or group defending a location.
standoff — 動詞
- standoffpresent simple I / you / we / they
- standoffs3rd person singular
- standoffing-ing form
- standoffedpast simple
1. To stand off means to keep yourself at a distance from someone or something, eit
保持距離
故意不靠近某人或某物
To stand off means to keep yourself at a distance from someone or something, either physically or socially, rather than coming close.
The hikers stood off from the cliff edge, afraid it might crumble beneath them.
登山客與懸崖邊保持距離，擔心崖壁會崩塌。
stand off + from + [location]
Linnea stood off from the campfire because the smoke irritated her eyes.
Linnea 因為煙霧刺眼而與營火保持距離。
During the storm, the ship stood off from the rocky coastline until dawn.
暴風雨期間，那艘船與岩石海岸保持距離直到天亮。
In many cultures, strangers tend to stand off until someone makes the first move.
在許多文化中，陌生人在有人主動開口前通常會保持距離。
- keep away
more informal and common in everyday speech
- stay clear
suggests avoiding for safety reasons
文法句型
stand off + from [someone/something]
用法筆記
Often followed by 'from' plus a noun phrase. Can describe physical distance (cliffs, fires) or social distance (strangers, new groups).
常見錯誤
2. When a boat or ship stands off, it moves away from the coast and remains at a di
駛離
船隻離開海岸向外航行
When a boat or ship stands off, it moves away from the coast and remains at a distance out at sea, usually while waiting for something.
The fishing boat stood off from the harbor before sunrise to wait for the tide.
漁船在日出前駛離港口，等待潮水到來。
stand off + from [harbor] — nautical use
Captain Watanabe ordered the crew to stand off until the fog lifted.
Watanabe 船長命令船員駛離岸邊，等濃霧散去。
The small schooner stood off from the island after dropping off the medical supplies.
那艘小帆船在卸下醫療物資後駛離了島嶼。
Linnea watched the ferry stand off from the dock and head into the open sea.
Linnea 看著渡輪駛離碼頭，朝外海前進。
- put out to sea
more general; does not imply waiting
- hold off
can be nautical but also has other meanings
- dock
the opposite action of coming into port
- come ashore
moving toward land
文法句型
stand off + from [shore/harbor]
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in nautical or maritime contexts. The subject is always a vessel, and the verb is intransitive. Distinguish from verb sense 1 ('stay at a distance') by the domain — if the subject is a ship and the context is coastal navigation, this sense is intended.
3. To stand off an attacker, threat, or unwanted force means to stop it from coming
抵擋
阻止人或動物靠近或前進
To stand off an attacker, threat, or unwanted force means to stop it from coming closer or advancing toward you.
The defenders used boiling oil to stand off the attackers at the castle gate.
守軍用滾燙的熱油抵擋攻城的敵軍。
transitive: stand off + [attacker]
Elena stood off the stray dog by shouting loudly and waving her arms above her head.
Elena 大聲喊叫並揮舞雙臂，抵擋那隻流浪狗靠近。
A strong electric fence helped the farmer stand off the deer from his vegetable fields.
一道堅固的電網幫助農夫把鹿群擋在菜園之外。
The security team stood off the crowd that tried to push past the barrier.
保全團隊抵擋了試圖衝破護欄的人群。
- repel
more common and widely used in modern English
- ward off
slightly more informal, often used for threats or illness
- keep at bay
idiomatic, suggests preventing something from reaching you
文法句型
stand off + [attacker/threat]
用法筆記
Transitive — takes a direct object (the thing being repelled). Distinguish from verb sense 1 (intransitive, 'stay at a distance') by the presence of a direct object. This sense is less common; 'repel', 'ward off', or 'keep at bay' are more frequent alternatives in modern English.
常見錯誤
4. To stand off a decision or action means to put it off until later, often intenti
拖延
故意推遲決定或行動
To stand off a decision or action means to put it off until later, often intentionally to buy more time.
The committee voted to stand off the final decision until the next meeting.
委員會投票決定將最終決議拖延到下次會議。
transitive: stand off + [decision]
Dmitri tried to stand off paying the bill by claiming he had lost his wallet.
Dmitri 謊稱錢包遺失，試圖拖延付款。
The company stood off the product launch while engineers fixed several critical bugs.
公司在工程師修復幾個關鍵漏洞後，將產品發佈時間拖延。
Fatima stood off her response to the job offer until she heard from the other firm.
Fatima 在收到另一家公司的消息之前，拖延了對錄取通知的回覆。
文法句型
stand off + [decision/action]
用法筆記
This sense is quite rare in modern English. 'Postpone', 'delay', or 'put off' are far more common. The object is typically an action or event — a decision, payment, response, or launch.
standoff — 形容詞
- standoffpositive
- more standoffcomparative
- most standoffsuperlative
1. Someone who is standoff behaves in a way that seems unfriendly or distant, avoid
冷淡的
態度疏遠不願與人親近的
Someone who is standoff behaves in a way that seems unfriendly or distant, avoiding casual conversation or emotional closeness with others.
The new manager seemed standoff at first, rarely joining in office conversations.
新任主管起初態度冷淡，很少參與辦公室的閒聊。
predicative: seem + standoff
Elena's standoff manner made it hard for her classmates to become friends with her.
Elena 冷淡的態度讓同學們很難與她成為朋友。
attributive: standoff + manner
Despite his standoff reputation, Okafor was actually very generous with his time.
儘管 Okafor 給人冷淡的印象，他其實很樂意花時間幫助他人。
The Watanabe family's cat is standoff with visitors, hiding under the bed whenever anyone comes over.
Watanabe 家養的貓對訪客很冷淡，每次有人來就躲到床底下。
- standoffish
the more common form of the same word
- aloof
slightly more formal, can suggest deliberate superiority
- distant
broader; can describe emotional or physical distance
- reserved
less negative; suggests quietness rather than unfriendliness
文法句型
be + standoff
standoff + [noun: manner, behavior, attitude]
用法筆記
The adjective 'standoff' in this sense is interchangeable with the more common 'standoffish'. Both can be used predicatively ('He is standoff') or attributively ('her standoff attitude').
常見錯誤
2. A standoff component, such as a fastener or bracket, is designed to hold one obj
間隔的
用來保持物體與表面間距的
A standoff component, such as a fastener or bracket, is designed to hold one object at a specific distance away from another surface.
The electrician used standoff brackets to mount the conduit away from the brick wall.
電工使用間隔支架將導管固定在磚牆之外。
standoff + bracket — technical use
A standoff spacer keeps the glass panel at the correct distance from the metal frame.
間隔墊片能讓玻璃面板與金屬框架保持正確距離。
The technician installed standoff insulators to prevent the wires from touching the roof surface.
技術人員安裝了間隔絕緣體，防止電線接觸屋頂表面。
Standoff fasteners are commonly used in electronics to separate circuit boards from the casing.
間隔緊固件常用於電子產品中，將電路板與外殼隔開。
文法句型
standoff + [noun: fastener, bracket, spacer, insulator]
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively before a noun (standoff bracket, standoff spacer, standoff insulator). The phrase 'standoff distance' is also common in engineering contexts. Learners at a general level are unlikely to need this sense; it is most relevant to technical or trade English.