Standoff

It was a standoff.

There's a great scene in that old movie showing a Mexican standoff: all the men are ready to draw their guns if anyone else draws his gun, but nobody is willing to make the first move.

The political landscape of the region turned into a Mexican standoff.

The army imposed martial law in the country Tuesday and insisted the action is not a coup but is instead aimed at resolving the political standoff through dialogue.

I don't want to get involved in the standoff between those two.

A tense standoff between demonstrators and police continued overnight.

In recent months, both Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Captain America: Civil War have offered up big, flashy superhero standoffs as feuds of ideology and stubborn will.

a standoff bomb, missile, or weapon