In the United States, a "Terry stop" is a police officer's stop and limited search of a person for weapons, justified by the officer's "reasonable suspicion" that a crime is in progress or imminent, by a person who may be armed, and who causes the officer to fear danger to the officer or to others. The standard is distinct from the "probable cause" standard for an arrest.

The term comes from the 1968 case Terry v. Ohio (392 U.S. 1), in which the right of police to stop and question a suspect was first discussed.

1. Text of Supreme Court decision in Terry v. Ohio, by Chief Justice Earl Warren