English Reference

Phrasal verb

stand up

Irregular verb

Forms

Infinitive

stand up

Past

stood up

Past participle

stood up

Definition

phrasal verb. to move your body from a sitting or lying position to a vertical position on your feet.

phrasal verb. to rise to a vertical position from a seated, kneeling, or prone posture. Intransitive in its primary physical sense, though it can take an object in its informal sense of failing to meet someone.

Examples

“Please stand up when the judge enters the room.”

“The students all stood up to greet their new teacher as she walked into the classroom.”

“The elderly statesman struggled to stand up unaided, yet he insisted on rising to address the assembly with his characteristic dignity.”

Examples

simple

“Please stand up when the judge enters the room.”

contextual

“The students all stood up to greet their new teacher as she walked into the classroom.”

complex

“The elderly statesman struggled to stand up unaided, yet he insisted on rising to address the assembly with his characteristic dignity.”

Usage

often used as a command or combined with 'and' to start another action.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'get up', which is more general and can mean leaving one's bed in the morning; 'stand up' specifically describes the physical change in posture.

Pitfall

He stood up himself.

He stood up.

the verb is intransitive and does not take a reflexive pronoun when describing the physical act of rising.

Phrasal verb

Particles

up

Separability

inseparable

Pattern

stand + up

Synonyms

riseget upstand

Antonyms

sit downlie down

Grammar

Phrasal verbs (introduction)

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · Beginner
Updated

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