Terry stop

noun

The brief detention of a person by the police on reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity but short of probable cause to arrest.

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Meanings

nounTerry stop (plural Terry stops)

plural Terry stops

  1. USgovernmentThe brief detention of a person by the police on reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity but short of probable cause to arrest.

Origin

From the legal case Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), in which the Supreme Court held that police may briefly detain a person who they reasonably suspect is involved in criminal activity.

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Cite this entry
APA

Terry stop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Terry%20stop

MLA

“Terry stop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Terry%20stop. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Terry stop,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Terry%20stop.

Source: Terry stop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.