stand

STAND/stænd/

Verbstands, standing, stood

Noun pluralstands

49 meanings of stand

Practice

1
be on feetverbintransitive
To be on your feet with your body upright, not sitting or lying down.
At my job, I have to stand all day.
We stood in line for an hour.
UsagePast form: stood. We stood in line for an hour.
Oppositesit, lie
2
verbintransitive
To be located in a place, or to be at a certain level or amount.
The church stands at the top of the hill.
Where the mill used to stand, there is now a parking lot.
UsageA building stands on a hill; a number stands at 500.
Similarsit, lie, remain, rest
Note
3
verbintransitive
To be a short form of a longer name, or to mean or show something, used with "for".
What do the letters NASA stand for?
In the story, the red rose stands for love.
UsageAsk What does NASA stand for?
Similarrepresent, mean, signify, symbolize
4
get to feetverbintransitive
To get up onto your feet from sitting or lying down.
Everyone stood when the judge came in.
Stand up and stretch your legs.
UsageSay stand up to get on your feet.
Similarrise
Oppositesit
5
verbtransitive
To put up with something or someone, almost always in can't stand.
I can't stand the smell of fish.
She couldn't stand being kept waiting.
UsageMostly can't stand: I can't stand the noise.
Similarbear, tolerate, stomach, abide, endure
Note
6
stay firmverbintransitive
To stay firm and not give way, or to take a position against something.
She stood firm on the price.
We will stand against this injustice.
UsageSay stand firm or stand together.
Similarhold, remain
Oppositeyield, surrender, capitulate, cave
Note
7
relative positionverbintransitive
To be in a certain place in an order, a ranking, or a relationship.
Our team stands third in the league.
Where do we stand with each other now?
UsageAs things stand means in the present situation.
Similarrank, sit, rate
8
support framenouncountable
A piece of furniture or a frame that holds something up, like a music stand.
Put the umbrella in the stand by the door.
The microphone stands were still on the stage.
UsageSay music stand or umbrella stand.
Similarrack, holder, base, pedestal, support
9
nouncountable
A small booth or stall where things are sold or shown, like a hot dog stand.
We bought lemonade from a stand by the road.
The farm stands along the highway sell peaches in July.
UsageSay a lemonade stand or a fruit stand.
Similarstall, booth, kiosk, platform
10
firm opinionnouncountable
A firm position you take on something, especially against others.
The mayor took a strong stand on housing.
Her stand against the merger cost her the job.
UsageSay take a stand on something.
Similarstance, position, line, standpoint, view
11
upright (things)verbintransitive
Of a thing, to be upright on its end or base, or to put it that way.
An old clock stands in the hall.
The ladder won't stand on this soft ground.
Oppositelie
12
verbintransitive
To stay in one place without moving, of a person, a car, or a thing.
Stand still while I take the picture.
The train stood at the platform for ten minutes.
UsageSay stand still, or let the dough stand.
Similarrest, sit, remain, stay
13
withstandverbtransitive
To get through a test or attack without failing, as in 'stand the test of time'.
The old bridge has stood many floods.
Will the paint stand a hot summer?
UsageSay it will stand the test of time, meaning it will last.
Similarsurvive
Oppositefail
Note
14
run (election)verbBritishintransitive
To be a candidate in an election, in British use.
She is standing for Parliament again.
Will you stand for the council?
Similarrun
Note
15
verbintransitive
To still be true or in force, not changed or taken back.
My offer still stands.
Does the rule stand if the manager leaves?
UsageSay my offer still stands.
Similarhold, remain, apply, stay
Oppositelapse, expire
16
nouncountable
The rows of seats at a sports ground where people watch, often called the stands.
The fans in the stands went wild.
The ball flew into the stand behind the goal.
UsageFans sit in the stands.
Similargrandstand, bleachers
17
measure (height)verbintransitive
To be a certain height when standing up.
My older brother stands six feet two inches.
The colt will stand sixteen hands when grown.
Similarmeasure
18
likely to gainverbintransitivewith infinitivewith to
To be likely to gain or lose something, as in stand to win.
They stand to lose millions if the deal falls through.
She stands to inherit the farm.
19
nouncountable
A set place where taxis, buses, or people wait to be used or hired.
There's a taxi stand outside the station.
The cab went back to the stand to wait.
UsageSay a taxi stand.
Similarrank

Less common meanings

20
witness boxnouncountable
The place in a courtroom where a witness sits or stands to answer questions.
The witness took the stand at ten o'clock.
She was nervous on the stand.
UsageA witness takes the stand.
21
nouncountable
A place or effort where people stop and fight back instead of retreating.
The soldiers made their stand on the ridge.
It was the rebels' last stand.
UsageSay make a stand or last stand.
Similardefense, resistance
Oppositeretreat
22
face trialverbintransitive
To appear in court to be tried, as in stand trial.
He will stand trial for fraud next spring.
Three men stood accused of the theft.
UsageSay stand trial for a crime.
Similarface, appear
23
nouncountable
The act of standing, or the spot you choose to stand on.
He took his stand by the window and waited.
He took his stand by the door and waited.
Similarposition, post, station, place
24
grovenouncountable
A group of trees or bushes growing together in one place.
A stand of pines shelters the house from the wind.
The old oak stands were cleared for farmland.
UsageSay a stand of trees.
Similargrove, copse, clump, thicket
Note
25
verbintransitive
To be or stay in a certain state, with a word after it like ready, open, or unchanged.
We stand ready to help if you need us.
The front door stood open all afternoon.
Similarremain, stay, sit
Note
26
stay (cards)verbintransitive
In card games like blackjack, to take no more cards and keep your hand.
With nineteen showing, she chose to stand.
He stood on seventeen and lost to the dealer's twenty.
UsageSay stand on eighteen.
Similarstick
Oppositehit
Note
27
nouncountable
A stop or standstill, when someone or something cannot or does not go on.
Similarstandstill, halt, stop
Note
28
run of gamesnouncountable
A series of games or shows played in one place before moving on.
The team opens a six-game stand at home.
The band's three-night stand sold out.
UsageSay a three-night stand for shows in one place.
Similarrun, residency, engagement
Note
29
treat (pay)verbtransitive
To pay for something for someone else, such as a drink or a meal.
I'll stand you a drink after work.
He stood the whole table a round.
Similarbuy, treat
30
be consistentverbintransitive
To fit with something or go along with it, an older use.
Similaraccord, agree, square, tally
Oppositeconflict, clash
31
nouncountable
In cricket, the time two batters spend batting together, and the runs they add.
A long stand between the last two batters saved the game.
She shared a stand of 60 runs with the youngest batter on the team.
Similarpartnership
Note
32
verbobsolete
To be in a certain state, to exist, or to be made up of something.
Accomplish what your signs foreshow; / I stand resigned, and am prepared to go.
1697, Virgil, The Works of VirgilHere, stand means am, as in I am resigned.
33
verb
Of tears or sweat, to have gathered and stay there.
34
verb
To be the umpire in a game.
35
verb
To compete against someone, usually as part of a team.
36
verb
Of a ship, to sail in a certain direction or toward a place.
37
verb
To stay whole and not be damaged or destroyed.
38
noun
High seats at the stock exchange for its helpers, called waiters.
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 wooded area treated as one unit because its mix of trees and its ground are alike throughout.
40
noundatedUS
The spot where a hotel or shop stands.
41
nounUS
A place by a road where travelers could eat and sleep.
42
noun
A full set of something, such as the weapons for one soldier.
43
nounobsolete
A person's place or rank 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 feeling of being confused and not knowing what to do.
45
noun
A young tree, often left when others are cut, or a tree growing on its own roots.
46
noun
A spot with room for someone to stand.
47
noun
A large ad made of many sheets of paper that covers a whole billboard.
48
noundatedScotlandUS
A barrel or other container that sits upright.
First dip me in a stand o milk, / And then a stand o water;
a. 1791, “Tam Lin”, in Francis James Child
49
nounobsolete
An old unit of weight for pitch, about 250 to 300 pounds.

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 Old English standan, meaning "to stand," going back to an ancient Proto-Indo-European root.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English stand derives from Old English standan, meaning 'to stand'. en.wiktionary.org
Old English standan ultimately derives from a Proto-Indo-European root. en.wiktionary.org