stænd v. & n. --v. (past
and past part. stood) 1 intr.
have or
take or
maintain an
upright position,
esp. on
the feet or a base. 2 intr. be situated or located (here
once stood a village). 3 intr. be of a specified
height (stands
six foot three). 4 intr. be in a specified
condition (stands accused; the
thermometer stood at 90Û; the
matter stands as follows; stood in
awe of them). 5 tr.
place or set in an upright or specified position (stood it
against the wall). 6 intr. a
move to and
remain in a specified position (stand aside). b take a specified
attitude (stand aloof). 7 intr. maintain a position;
avoid falling or
moving or
being moved (the
house will stand
for another century; stood for hours arguing). 8 intr.
assume a
stationary position;
cease to move (now stand still). 9 intr. remain
valid or
unaltered; hold
good (the former conditions must stand). 10 intr. Naut. hold a specified
course (stand in for the shore;
you are
standing into danger). 11 tr.
endure without yielding or complaining;
tolerate (cannot stand the
pain; how can you stand him?). 12 tr.
provide for another or others at one's
own expense (stood
him a drink). 13 intr. (often foll. by for)
Brit. be a
candidate (for an
office,
legislature, or constituency) (stood for
Parliament; stood for Finchley). 14 intr.
act in a specified
capacity (stood proxy). 15 tr.
undergo (trial). 16 intr. Cricket act as
umpire. 17 intr. (of a dog)
point, set. 18 intr. (in full stand at stud) (of a stallion) be
available for
breeding. --n. 1 a
cessation from motion or
progress, a
stoppage (was
brought to a stand). 2 a a halt
made, or a stationary condition assumed, for the
purpose of
resistance. b resistance to
attack or
compulsion (esp.
make a stand). c Cricket a prolonged
period at the
wicket by
two batsmen. 3 a a position taken up (took
his stand
near the door). b an attitude adopted. 4 a rack, set of
shelves,
table,
etc., on or in
which things
may be placed (music stand; hatstand). 5 a a
small open-fronted
structure for a
trader outdoors or in a
market etc. b a structure occupied by a participating
organization at an
exhibition. 6 a standing-place for vehicles (cab-stand). 7 a a raised structure for persons to
sit or stand
on. b US a witness-box (take the stand). 8 Theatr. etc.
each halt made on a
tour to
give one or
more performances. 9 a
group of growing plants (stand of trees; stand of clover). øas it stands 1 in
its present condition, unaltered. 2 in the present circumstances. be at a stand
archaic be
unable to
proceed, be in
perplexity. it stands to
reason see REASON. stand
alone be
unequalled. stand and deliver!
hist. a highwayman's
order to
hand over valuables etc. stand at bay see
BAY(5). stand
back 1
withdraw; take up a position
further from the
front. 2 withdraw psychologically in order to take an
objective view. stand by 1 stand
nearby;
look on without interfering (will
not stand by and see him ill-treated). 2
uphold,
support,
side with (a person). 3
adhere to,
abide by (terms or promises). 4 Naut. stand
ready to take hold of or
operate (an
anchor etc.). stand-by n. (pl. -bys) 1 a
person or
thing ready if needed in an
emergency etc. 2 readiness for
duty (on stand-by). --adj. 1 ready for
immediate use. 2 (of
air travel) not booked in
advance but allocated on the
basis of earliest availability. stand
camera a camera for use on a
tripod, not hand-held. stand a
chance see CHANCE. stand corrected
accept correction. stand down 1 withdraw (a person) or
retire from a
team, witness-box, or
similar position. 2 Brit. cease to be a candidate etc. 3 Brit.
Mil. go
off duty. stand easy! see
EASY. stand for 1
represent,
signify,
imply ('US' stands for 'United States';
democracy stands for a
great deal more
than that). 2 (often with neg.) colloq. endure, tolerate,
acquiesce in. 3
espouse the
cause of. stand one's ground maintain one's position, not
yield. stand
high be high in
status,
price, etc. stand in (usu. foll. by for)
deputize; act in place of another. stand-in n. a
deputy or
substitute, esp. for an
actor when the latter's
acting ability is not needed. stand in the
breach see BREACH. stand in good
stead see STEAD. stand in with be in league with. stand of arms Brit. Mil. a
complete set of weapons for one
man. stand of colours Brit. Mil. a regiment's flags. stand off 1 move or
keep away, keep one's
distance. 2 Brit. temporarily
dispense with the services of (an employee). stand-off n. 1 US a
deadlock. 2 = stand-off
half. stand-off half
Rugby Football a half-back
who forms a link
between the scrum-half and the three-quarters. stand on 1
insist on,
observe scrupulously (stand on
ceremony; stand on one's dignity). 2 Naut.
continue on the
same course. stand on me sl.
rely on
me;
believe me. stand on one's own feet (or legs) be self-reliant or
independent. stand
out 1 be
prominent or
conspicuous or
outstanding. 2 (usu. foll. by against, for) hold out;
persist in
opposition or support or
endurance. stand over 1 stand close to (a person) to
watch,
control,
threaten, etc. 2 be postponed, be left for later
settlement etc. stand
pat see
PAT(2). stand to 1 Mil. stand ready for an attack (esp.
before dawn or
after dark). 2 abide
by, adhere to (terms or promises). 3 be
likely or
certain to (stands to
lose everything). 4 uphold, support, or side with (a person). stand
treat bear the expense of
entertainment etc. stand up 1 a
rise to one's feet from a
sitting or
other position. b
come to or remain in or place in a standing position. 2 (of an
argument etc.) be valid. 3 colloq.
fail to keep an
appointment with. stand-up attrib.adj. 1 (of a meal) eaten standing. 2 (of a fight)
violent,
thorough, or fair and
square. 3 (of a collar) upright, not turned down. 4 (of a comedian) performing by standing before an
audience and
telling jokes. stand up for support, side with, maintain (a person or cause). stand
upon = stand on. stand up to 1 meet or
face (an opponent) courageously. 2 be resistant to the
harmful effects of (wear, use, etc.). stand well (usu. foll. by with) be on good terms or in good
repute. take one's stand on base one's argument etc. on, rely on. øøstander n. [OE standan f. Gmc]