stand

STAND/stænd/

Verbstands, standing, stood

Noun pluralstands

49 meanings of stand

Practice

1
be on feetverbintransitive
To support oneself upright on the feet, neither sitting nor lying.
Every seat on the train was taken, so she had to stand the whole way home.
Can you stand on one leg for a minute?
UsagePast and past participle stood: I have stood here all day (not ~~incorrect: have stand~~).
Oppositesit, lie
2
verbintransitive
Of a building, town, monument or other fixed thing, to be situated in a place; by extension, of a figure or count, to be at a given level.
A statue of the poet stands in the square.
The new library will stand on the site of the old bus station.
UsageStand at for a figure (the total stands at 515), stand on or in for a place.
Similarsit, lie, remain, rest
Note
Placement was already part of the verb in Old English, where standan meant "to stand, occupy a place," so a town that stands on a river keeps a very early use. The extension to numbers follows easily, and a news report gives the count of injured as standing at 515.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Old English standan already included the meaning of occupying a place. en.wiktionary.org
A news report describes the number injured as standing at 515. en.wiktionary.org
3
verbintransitive
To be shortened from a longer word or name, or to symbolize or signify something, followed by for.
On the map, each blue dot stands for a public library.
The initials on the old trunk stand for the name of its first owner.
UsageUsed with for: what does NASA stand for? A red rose stands for love.
Similarrepresent, mean, signify, symbolize
4
get to feetverbintransitive
To rise to one's feet, usually with 'up'.
He stood to shake my hand.
The audience will stand as the national anthem begins.
UsageOften stand up: everyone stood up when the judge came in.
Similarrise
Oppositesit
5
verbtransitive
To tolerate or bear a person, habit or situation, mostly in the negative with 'can't' or 'won't'.
He can't stand being told what to do.
How do you stand that noise all day?
UsageMostly negative: can't stand + a noun or -ing: I can't stand waiting.
Similarbear, tolerate, stomach, abide, endure
Note
When the affirmative appears, it often sets up a refusal. Joseph C. Lincoln's speaker in 1913 can stand his uniform because he is paid for it, but won't stand having it called a livery.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The referenced novel, Mr. Pratt's Patients by Joseph Crosby Lincoln, was first published in 1913. openlibrary.org
Lincoln's fictional speaker tolerates wearing the uniform because he is paid, but refuses to have it called a livery. home.hiwaay.net
6
stay firmverbintransitive
To be fixed, steady or firm in attitude, holding a position in resistance; often with firm, fast, for or against.
The villagers stood together against the developers.
Stand firm, and they will back down.
UsageCommon in stand firm, stand fast, stand together, and stand against something.
Similarhold, remain
Oppositeyield, surrender, capitulate, cave
Note
Resolve is pictured as a body that will not be moved: stand fast, stand firm, or, in the 1611 Bible, stand for their life. The participle carries the same steadiness as an adjective, so Robert South in 1660 can speak of "the standing pattern" of imitation, meaning one fixed and lasting. The attitude itself, as a noun, is a stand taken against opposition.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
The Bible contains the wording “stand for their life”, in Esther 8:11. en.wikisource.org
Robert South used “the standing pattern” in a sermon delivered in 1660; this is a delivery date, not the publication date of the later collection. en.wiktionary.org
South's wording is “the standing pattern of their imitation”. en.wiktionary.org
7
relative positionverbintransitive
To hold a place in an order or relation, ranked or situated; often with first, where or how.
As things stand, we cannot afford it.
He stood high in the king's favor.
UsageSet phrases: as things stand, where do we stand, stand third in the league.
Similarrank, sit, rate
8
support framenouncountable
A support or frame that keeps something raised or on its base.
She set the sheet music on the stand.
The lamp sits on a wooden stand.
UsageNamed by what it holds: a music stand, an umbrella stand, a hat-stand.
Similarrack, holder, base, pedestal, support
9
nouncountable
A small structure, booth, or raised platform from which goods are sold or a show is given.
She runs a flower stand outside the station.
The band played from the stand in the square.
UsageNamed by what is sold: a flower stand, a hot dog stand, a lemonade stand.
Similarstall, booth, kiosk, platform
10
firm opinionnouncountable
A resolute position held against opposition, an opinion acted on and not given up; usually with 'take' or 'make'.
Someone has to take a stand on this.
His stand on the war was unpopular at the time.
UsageUsually take a stand on or against something, or make a stand.
Similarstance, position, line, standpoint, view
11
upright (things)verbintransitive
Of an object, to be upright, on its end or base; or to put something in that position.
The vase stood on the windowsill for years.
Stand the bottles upright in the box so they don't leak.
Oppositelie
12
verbintransitive
Of a person halted or a thing left in place, to stay where it is without moving.
The car has stood in the driveway since March.
Let the dough stand for an hour.
UsageStand still for people; in cooking, let it stand for a time.
Similarrest, sit, remain, stay
13
withstandverbtransitive
To survive a test, attack or judgment without failing; to hold up.
Few of their predictions stood the test of time.
Can the evidence stand scrutiny?
UsageCommon in stand the test of time and stand scrutiny. Not the same as can't stand (dislike).
Similarsurvive
Oppositefail
Note
Here the object is the ordeal itself, and older writers let it be almost anything. Dryden's love stood a siege in 1700, Addison's Cato bids a man stand a Roman senate's judgment, and Pope's subject stood "the furious foe."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
Dryden wrote that love stood a siege, in Theodore and Honoria. en.wikisource.org
The Dryden example was published in 1700, in Fables Ancient and Modern. en.wikisource.org
In Joseph Addison's Cato, the character Cato calls for a man to stand the judgment of a Roman senate; the man is Caesar. gutenberg.ca
Pope wrote that his subject stood 'the furious foe', in An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot. eighteenthcenturypoetry.org
14
run (election)verbBritishintransitive
To be a candidate in an election, usually with 'for' the office or 'as' the party.
Only four candidates stood in the by-election.
He decided not to stand again.
Similarrun
Note
Candidacy is a British use, and an old one: Izaak Walton writes in 1678 of a man who stood to be elected a university proctor. Beware the look-alike in stand to gain or lose. Here, he stood to be elected means he was a candidate, not that he was in line for a windfall.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Izaak Walton's Life of Dr. Sanderson, containing the example, was published in 1678. quod.lib.umich.edu
Walton describes a man standing for election as a university proctor. anglicanhistory.org
In Walton's passage, 'stood to be elected' describes candidacy. anglicanhistory.org
15
verbintransitive
Of an offer, statement, record or decision, to remain valid or in force.
The agreement stands until both sides sign a new one.
Let the decision stand.
UsageCommon in the offer still stands and let the decision stand.
Similarhold, remain, apply, stay
Oppositelapse, expire
16
nouncountable
In sports, the banked rows of seats where the crowd watches, often in the plural.
Thousands of fans filled the stands, waving flags and singing before the kickoff.
The old wooden stand at the stadium was torn down last year.
UsageThe stands for a venue's seating in general, the stand for one section: fans in the stands.
Similargrandstand, bleachers
17
measure (height)verbintransitive
Of a person or horse, to measure a given height on the feet, followed directly by the measurement.
I'd guess our new center must stand six foot ten in his sneakers.
Even as a teenager, my brother stood six foot four and had to duck through doorways.
Similarmeasure
18
likely to gainverbintransitivewith infinitivewith to
With a to-infinitive, to be in line for a profit or a loss, whichever way events go.
Who stands to benefit from the change?
You stand to gain a great deal.
19
nouncountable
A designated, marked-out place where vehicles or people wait their turn, usually named for what waits there.
Cabs lined up at the stand all night.
Wait at the stand and the next cab is yours.
UsageUsually in compounds such as taxi stand, cab stand, or bus stand.
Similarrank

Less common meanings

20
witness boxnouncountable
The place in a courtroom from which a witness gives evidence, usually with 'take' or 'on'.
The prosecutor called her back to the stand.
He broke down on the stand.
UsageTake the stand to give evidence; a witness is on the stand.
21
nouncountable
A defensive position, or the effort of holding it, where a force refuses to retreat further; usually with 'make' or 'last'.
They made a stand at the river and held it for two days.
Surrounded and low on supplies, the soldiers made a last stand on the hill.
UsageUsually make a stand, especially a last stand.
Similardefense, resistance
Oppositeretreat
22
face trialverbintransitive
To appear in court as the accused, almost always with 'trial' or 'accused'.
The company must stand trial on all three counts.
The two men will stand trial in March, accused of robbing a bank downtown.
UsageAlmost always stand trial (no article) or stand accused.
Similarface, appear
23
nouncountable
The act of standing, or the position one takes up to stand in, mostly in the phrase take one's stand.
Each morning the old fisherman took his stand on the same flat rock at the end of the pier.
She took her stand at the window.
Similarposition, post, station, place
24
grovenouncountable
A group of trees or shrubs growing together, in forestry the unit of woodland managed or measured as one.
Loggers thinned the stand last winter.
A stand of aspen turns gold all at once.
UsageUsually a stand of + a tree name: a stand of pines.
Similargrove, copse, clump, thicket
Note
In everyday use it is any grove picked out by eye, such as a stand of pines older than the one next to it. Foresters use it more strictly, for trees uniform enough in age and structure to be managed as one unit. Managed timber sits between the two, as with pernambuco grown in maintained stands in Brazil.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
Pernambuco grows in maintained stands in Brazil. en.wiktionary.org
25
verbintransitive
To be, or continue to be, in a given condition, with an adjective or participle naming it, as in stand ready, stand open, or stand unchanged.
Rescue crews stand ready along the coast as the storm moves closer.
The old mill has stood empty since the factory closed.
Similarremain, stay, sit
Note
This use turns the verb into a linking verb, like be or remain: the word after it describes the subject, not an action. What it adds is stillness and duration, so a house that stands empty has been empty a while, and crews that stand ready are waiting rather than acting.
26
stay (cards)verbintransitive
In card games, especially blackjack, to decline further cards and play on with the hand one holds.
If you stand now, you keep your eighteen.
The dealer stands on all seventeens.
UsageA total takes on: stand on seventeen.
Similarstick
Oppositehit
Note
Card play borrows the verb's sense of staying put, remaining motionless, and applies it to a hand: nothing is added and nothing changes.
27
nouncountable
A standstill or halt in motion or thought, as of a person at a loss or a pointing dog that has found game, mostly in the phrase at a stand.
Similarstandstill, halt, stop
Note
A halt in thought is where this noun lives in older literary prose. Bacon in 1625 has a Greek thinker at a stand over why men should love lies, and Byron's Antonia finds her patience at a stand in 1819. The same stillness describes a hunting dog that has found game. Standstill says the same thing in plainer prose.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
Bacon's relevant essay, Of Truth, first appeared in 1625. en.wikipedia.org
Bacon describes a Greek thinker puzzled about why people love lies. gutenberg.org
Byron describes Antonia's patience as being at a stand in Don Juan, Canto I. en.wikisource.org
The canto containing the Antonia passage was first published in 1819. nls.uk
The noun can describe the stillness of a hunting dog that has found game and is synonymous with standstill. en.wiktionary.org
28
run of gamesnouncountable
A run of performances or games at a single venue during a tour or season.
After a long road trip they begin a ten-game home stand.
She played a month-long stand at the casino.
UsageOften with a number: a three-night stand, a six-game home stand.
Similarrun, residency, engagement
Note
Touring talk built a compound on it. A one-night stand is a single performance in a town before the company moves on, as in a summer spent giving four one-night stands a week. Sports schedules use the same noun for a run of games in one place, such as a four-game stand at home.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
The compound one-night stand originated in theatrical touring. en.wikipedia.org
A theatrical one-night stand is an engagement for a single evening. en.wiktionary.org
29
treat (pay)verbtransitive
To pay for something as a treat for others, either with the person and the thing as two objects (stand someone a drink) or the thing alone (stand a round).
Let me stand you a coffee.
After the match, Mark offered to stand everyone a round of drinks.
Similarbuy, treat
30
be consistentverbintransitive
To be consistent or in accord with something, used with 'with'; now mostly literary.
Similaraccord, agree, square, tally
Oppositeconflict, clash
31
nouncountable
In cricket, a partnership between two batters, counted in the runs they score together.
The captain and the wicketkeeper put on a stubborn stand of 74 for the seventh wicket.
Two century stands in the second innings turned a likely defeat into a draw.
Similarpartnership
Note
Cricket reports measure a stand in runs and often tie it to a wicket: a stand of 74 for the seventh wicket, a century stand. A big one can settle a match, as at Lord's in 2012, when Alastair Cook and Ian Bell added 132 together and carried England to victory over the West Indies.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
Alastair Cook and Ian Bell helped England defeat West Indies at Lord’s in 2012. aljazeera.com
Cook and Bell shared a partnership of 132 runs. stabroeknews.com
32
verbobsolete
To be in a particular state, to exist, or to consist in something, where be or consist would be used today.
Accomplish what your signs foreshow; / I stand resigned, and am prepared to go.
1697, Virgil, The Works of Virgil
33
verb
Of tears or sweat, to have gathered and remain visible, as in the eyes or on the brow.
34
verb
To serve as umpire in a match.
35
verb
To compete against someone, usually as a side or team.
36
verb
To sail or head in a given direction or toward a place, said of a vessel or its master.
37
verb
To last or stay intact, undamaged by time or harm.
38
noun
A raised area of seats at the stock exchange where the attendants known as waiters sat.
Just as that clock is striking now, the two waiters appear on the stands and take off their hats, as if to a corpse.
1934, Frances Cosgrove, Scenes for Student Actors: Dramatic Selections from New Plays
39
noun
A continuous patch of woodland uniform enough in its mix of tree ages, species and structure, on ground of similar quality, to be treated as one distinct unit.
40
noundatedUS
The site where a business such as a hotel or store is placed.
41
nounUS
An inn or tavern beside a road.
42
noun
A complete set of something, especially the weapons and equipment for one soldier.
43
nounobsolete
A person's rank, office, or position in society.
Father, since your fortune did attain / So high a stand, I mean not to descend.
1595, Samuel Daniel, The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke
44
noundated
A condition of being puzzled or at a loss about what to do.
45
noun
A young tree, typically one spared when those around it are felled, or a tree growing on its own roots rather than grafted onto another stock.
46
noun
Any spot that offers footing for someone on their feet.
47
noun
An advertisement made of many printed sheets pasted up so that together they cover a whole billboard.
48
noundatedScotlandUS
An upright container such as a cask or barrel.
First dip me in a stand o milk, / And then a stand o water;
a. 1791, “Tam Lin”, in Francis James Child
49
nounobsolete
A unit of weight of about 250 to 300 pounds, used for pitch.

More uses

stand outto be easy to notice

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of stand apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English stonden/standen (verb) and stand (noun), from Old English standan ("to stand, occupy a place"), from Proto-Germanic *standaną, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *steh₂-. It is related to Icelandic standa, Gothic standan, and Latin stare, among many others.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

The verb derives from Middle English stonden/standen and the noun from Middle English stand. en.wiktionary.org
The origin is Old English standan, meaning 'to stand, occupy a place'. en.wiktionary.org
Old English standan derives from Proto-Germanic *standaną and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-. en.wiktionary.org
English stand is related to Icelandic standa. en.wiktionary.org
English stand is related to Gothic standan through their shared Proto-Germanic ancestor. en.wiktionary.org
English stand is related to Latin stare and numerous other words. en.wiktionary.org