stand

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To be on your feet, or to get up onto your feet.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

stand

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈstænd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

To position or be positioned physically
intransitivecopulative
To support oneself on the feet in an erect position.
Put into an upright position
“Can you stand the bookshelf up?”
intransitive
To be placed in an upright or vertical orientation.
Remain inactive or immobile
Occupy a place or location, also metaphorically

noun

The act of standing.
A defensive position or effort.
The platform on which a witness testifies in court; the witness stand or witness box.
A resolute, unwavering position; firm opinion; action for a purpose in the face of opposition.
A period of performance in a given location or venue.
A device to hold something upright or aloft.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To position or be positioned physically

Used this way, stand is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use stand

“We had to stand for the entire performance!”verb
“Where do you stand on the War?”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

stand alonestand before

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

support
To serve, as in a customer-oriented position.
stomach
To tolerate (something), emotionally, physically, or mentally.
rack
To (manually) load (a round of ammunition) from the magazine or belt into firing position in an automatic or….

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

standingnounInflected form
Social or financial or professional status or reputation.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

stand upverbCompound term
Rise to one's feet.
stand watchverbCompound term
Watch over so as to protect.
standing armynounCompound term
A permanent army of paid soldiers.
standing committeenounCompound term
A permanent committee.
standing operating procedurenounCompound term
A prescribed procedure to be followed routinely.
standing ordernounCompound term
A rule of order permanently in force.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.