What does "stand" mean?

1. (to be on one's feet) to be in a vertical position on your feet, not sitting or lying down. 2. (to tolerate) to be able to accept or deal with something unpleasant. 3. (to be in a state or condition) to be in a particular situation or level. 4. (to be a candidate) to try to get elected for a job in government. 5. (an opinion or protest) a strong effort to defend your ideas or to stop something from happening. 6. (a support or holder) a piece of furniture or a frame used to hold or support something. 7. (a small shop or stall) a small table or temporary structure where things are sold. 8. (stadium seating) the sloping area with seats for people watching a sports game.

How do you use "stand"?

Often used with 'up' to describe the movement from sitting to standing. Commonly followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form). Often used in the phrase 'as it stands' to mean 'in its current condition'. Commonly used with the verb 'take'.

stand — meaning, definition & examples

Word

Infinitive

stand

Past

stood

Past participle

stood

01to be on one's feet

A1 · Beginner

v. to be in a vertical position on your feet, not sitting or lying down.

v. to maintain an upright position supported by one's feet. Intransitive in this primary physical sense.

“We had to stand at the back of the room because all the chairs were taken.”

“The crowd was asked to stand for the national anthem, creating a solemn atmosphere before the match began.”

Usage

Often used with 'up' to describe the movement from sitting to standing.

Synonyms

rise get up

Antonyms

sit lie

02to tolerate

B1 · Intermediate

v. to be able to accept or deal with something unpleasant.

v. to tolerate or endure something. Usually used in negative constructions or questions with 'can' or 'could'.

“I can't stand the smell of smoke in the house.”

“She could not stand the constant interruptions during her presentation, eventually asking the audience to hold their questions until the end.”

Usage

Commonly followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

Synonyms

tolerate bear endure

03to be in a state or condition

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to be in a particular situation or level.

v. to be in a specified state, condition, or relative position.

“As the rules stand now, you cannot enter the building without an ID.”

“The financial records show exactly where the company stands after the recent market fluctuations.”

Usage

Often used in the phrase 'as it stands' to mean 'in its current condition'.

Synonyms

remain be

04to be a candidate

B2 · Upper Intermediate British English

v. to try to get elected for a job in government.

v. to be a candidate in an election. Primarily British English usage; American English prefers 'run'.

“She decided to stand for Parliament in the next election.”

“Several local business owners have announced their intention to stand for the council seats being vacated this autumn.”

Synonyms

run campaign

05an opinion or protest

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a strong effort to defend your ideas or to stop something from happening.

n. a determined effort to resist something or to maintain an opinion.

“The local community is taking a stand against the new highway project.”

“The senator took a firm stand on environmental protection, refusing to back down despite pressure from industrial lobbyists.”

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'take'.

Synonyms

position stance resistance

Antonyms

surrender

06a support or holder

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a piece of furniture or a frame used to hold or support something.

n. a structure or device designed to hold something upright or to display items.

“He left his wet umbrella in the stand by the front door.”

“The microphone stand was adjusted to accommodate the height of the next speaker in the debate.”

Synonyms

base rack support

07a small shop or stall

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. a small table or temporary structure where things are sold.

n. a stall or booth where goods are sold or information is provided, often at a market or fair.

“We bought some fresh lemonade from a stand on the corner.”

“The company rented a large stand at the trade fair to showcase their latest software innovations to potential investors.”

Synonyms

stall booth kiosk

08stadium seating

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. the sloping area with seats for people watching a sports game.

n. a large, typically tiered structure for seating spectators at a sporting venue. Often used in the plural.

“The fans in the stands cheered loudly when the home team scored.”

“Security personnel were stationed throughout the stands to ensure the safety of the capacity crowd during the championship final.”

Synonyms

bleachers grandstand terraces

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “stand” in context.

Verb

01. can't stand the noise

“I really can't stand the noise of the construction work next door.”

verb + noun

02. stand a chance of success

“Without proper funding, the project doesn't stand a chance of success.”

verb + noun + of + noun

03. stand for election

“She decided to stand for election to the local council this year.”

verb + prep + noun

04. stand still

“Please stand still while I take your photograph.”

verb + adv

Noun

05. hot dog stand

“We bought a quick snack at the hot dog stand near the park entrance.”

noun + noun

06. take a stand against bullying

“The school principal decided to take a stand against bullying.”

verb + noun + prep + noun

Preposition

07. in a standing position

“The exercises should be performed while in a standing position.”

prep + adj + noun

“As soon as the coach has got his message across, the keeper stands up to play on.”

BBC News 14 Aug 2026

“Currently the hottest August day on record stands at 38.5C, recorded in 2003.”

BBC News 13 Aug 2026

“The children’s home stands by its care plan and treatment of Rhianan.”

The Guardian 13 Aug 2026

From Middle English stonden, standen (verb) and stand, stond (noun, from the verb), from Old English standan (“to stand, occupy a place”), from Proto-West Germanic standan, from Proto-Germanic standaną (“to stand”), from Pre-Germanic sth₂-n-t-´, an innovative extended n-infixed form of Proto-Indo-European steh₂-. Cognates Cognate with Scots staund (“to stand”), Yola sthoan, sthoane, sthone, stoane (“to stand”), North Frisian staan, stoune, stuine, stun, stönje, stööne (“to stand”), Saterland Frisian stounde (“to stand”), Danish stande (“to stand”), Faroese and Icelandic standa (“to stand”), Norwegian Nynorsk standa, stå (“to stand”), Swedish stånda (“to stand”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (standan, “to stand”). From the related Proto-Germanic stāną (“to stand”): West Frisian stean (“to stand”), Alemannic German staa (“to stand”), Central Franconian stiehn, stohn, stonn (“to stand”), Cimbrian stean (“to stand”), Dutch staan (“to stand”), German stehen, stehn (“to stand”), Low German stahn, staon (“to stand”), Luxembourgish stoen (“to stand”), Vilamovian śtejn (“to stand”), Yiddish שטיין (shteyn, “to stand”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish stå (“to stand”), Faroese stá (“to stand”). Also from steh₂-: Breton and Cornish sevel (“to stand”), Welsh sefyll (“to stand”), Latin stō (“to stand”), Greek σταυρός (stavrós, “cross”), Albanian shtyllë (“pillar; column”), Latvian stāvēt (“to stand”), Lithuanian stóti, stovėti (“to stand”), Belarusian стая́ць (stajácʹ, “to stand”), Bulgarian стоя́ (stojá, “to stand, stay”), Czech stát (“to stand”), Macedonian стои (stoi, “to stand”), Polish stać, stojeć (“to stand”), Russian стоя́ть (stojátʹ, “to stand”), Serbo-Croatian ста̏јати, stȁjati (“to stand”), Slovak stáť (“to stand”), Slovene státi (“to stand”), Ukrainian стоя́ти (stojáty, “to stand”), Armenian ստվար (stvar, “large, thick; dense”), Ossetian стын (styn, “to stand up”), Northern Kurdish rawestîn (“to stand”), Persian ایستادن (istâdan), وایسادن (vâysâdan), وایستادن (vâystâdan, “to stand up”), Tocharian A ṣtäm- (“to stand”), Tocharian B stäm- (“to stand”), Sanskrit स्था (sthā, “to stand”).

From Middle English stand, stande, stond, stonde, stoonde, probably from Middle Dutch stande, from Old Dutch standan (“to stand”), from Frankish standan. Forms with -o- may show influence of stonden (“stand”, verb).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

stand(B2)

NOUN