- stand
- [[t]stæ̱nd[/t]]
♦1) VERB When you are standing, your body is upright, your legs are straight, and your weight is supported by your feet.
[V prep] She was standing beside my bed staring down at me...
[V adj] They told me to stand still and not to turn round...
Overcrowding is so bad that prisoners have to sleep in shifts, while others have to stand.
Stand up means the same as stand.V P
We waited, standing up, for an hour. V P ...Mrs Fletcher, a shop assistant who has to stand up all day.2) VERB When someone who is sitting stands, they change their position so that they are upright and on their feet.Becker stood and shook hands with Ben.
3) VERB If you stand aside or stand back, you move a short distance sideways or backwards, so that you are standing in a different place.[V adv/prep] I stood aside to let her pass me...
[V adv/prep] The policemen stood back. Could it be a bomb?
4) VERB If something such as a building or a piece of furniture stands somewhere, it is in that position, and is upright. [WRITTEN][V prep/adv] The house stands alone on top of a small hill...
[V prep/adv] I reached for the lamp, which stood in the middle of the table.
5) VERB You can say that a building is standing when it remains after other buildings around it have fallen down or been destroyed.The palace, which was damaged by bombs in World War II, still stood...
There are very few buildings left standing.
6) VERB If you stand something somewhere, you put it there in an upright position.[V n prep/adv] Stand the plant in the open in a sunny, sheltered place.
Syn:7) VERB If you leave food or a mixture of something to stand, you leave it without disturbing it for some time.The salad improves if made in advance and left to stand.
8) N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N against/on n If you take or make a stand, you do something or say something in order to make it clear what your attitude to a particular thing is.He felt the need to make a stand against racism in South Africa...
They must take a stand and cast their votes...
His tough stand won some grudging admiration.
9) VERB If you ask someone where or how they stand on a particular issue, you are asking them what their attitude or view is.[where V on n] The amendment will force senators to show where they stand on the issue of sexual harassment...
[where V] So far, the bishop hasn't said where he stands.
10) VERB If you do not know where you stand with someone, you do not know exactly what their attitude to you is.[where V with n] No-one knows where they stand with him; he is utterly unpredictable...
[where V] All children need discipline, to know where they stand.
11) V-LINK You can use stand instead of `be' when you are describing the present state or condition of something or someone.[V adj] The alliance stands ready to do what is necessary...
[V adj] He stands accused of destroying the party in pursuit of his presidential ambitions...
The peace plan as it stands violates basic human rights.
12) VERB If a decision, law, or offer stands, it still exists and has not been changed or cancelled.Although exceptions could be made, the rule still stands...
The Supreme Court says that the convictions can stand.
13) VERB If something that can be measured stands at a particular level, it is at that level.[V at amount] The inflation rate now stands at 3.6 per cent...
[V at amount] Support for the two sides is standing at between 42 and 44 per cent.
14) VERB You can describe how tall or high someone or something is by saying that they stand a particular height.[V amount adj] She stood five feet five inches tall and weighed 120 pounds...
[V amount adj] The dam will stand 600 feet high...
[V adj] She stood tall and aloof.
15) VERB If something can stand a situation or a test, it is good enough or strong enough to experience it without being damaged, harmed, or shown to be inadequate.[V n] These are the first machines that can stand the wear and tear of continuously crushing glass...
[V n] I think these books can stand comparison quite happily with works by Dickens...
[V n] Ancient wisdom has stood the test of time.
16) VERB If you cannot stand something, you cannot bear it or tolerate it.[V n/-ing] I can't stand any more. I'm going to run away...
[V n/-ing] Stoddart can stand any amount of personal criticism...
[V n/-ing] How does he stand the pain?
Syn:17) VERB If you cannot stand someone or something, you dislike them very strongly. [INFORMAL][V n/-ing] I can't stand that man and his arrogance...
[V n/-ing] He can't stand me smoking.
Syn:18) VERB If you stand to gain something, you are likely to gain it. If you stand to lose something, you are likely to lose it.[V to-inf] The management group would stand to gain millions of dollars if the company were sold...
[V to-inf] As many as 30,000 workers at 22 nuclear weapons sites stand to lose their jobs.
19) VERB If you stand in an election, you are a candidate in it. [BRIT][V in n] He has not yet announced whether he will stand in the election...
Some ardent supporters were urging him to stand...
[V as/for/against n] She is to stand as a Member of the European Parliament...
(in AM, use run)[V as/for/against n] Every two years all the congressmen stand for re-election.
20) VERB If you stand someone a meal or a drink, you buy it for them. [INFORMAL][V n n] You can stand me a pint.
21) N-COUNT: oft n N A stand is a small shop or stall, outdoors or in a large public building.→ See also newsstandHe ran a newspaper stand outside the American Express office...
She bought a hot dog from a stand on a street corner.
Syn:22) N-COUNT A stand at a sports ground is a large structure where people sit or stand to watch what is happening. [BRIT]N-PLURALIn American English, stands is used with same meaning.The people in the stands at Candlestick Park are standing and cheering with all their might.
23) N-COUNT A stand is an object or piece of furniture that is designed for supporting or holding a particular kind of thing.The teapot came with a stand to catch the drips.
24) N-COUNT: usu n N A stand is an area where taxis or buses can wait to pick up passengers.Luckily there was a taxi stand nearby.
25) N-SING: the N In a law court, the stand is the place where a witness stands to answer questions.When the father took the stand today, he contradicted his son's testimony...
The government has called nearly 50 witnesses to the stand.
26) → See also standing27) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR on/by n If an idea, claim, or attempt stands or falls on something, its truth or success depends on that thing.Airlines should stand or fall on their ability to attract passengers.
28) PHRASE You can describe someone's final attempt to defend themselves before they are defeated as their last stand.There they made their tragic and heroic last stand against the Roman legions.
29) PHRASE: V inflects, usu it PHR that If you say it stands to reason that something is true or likely to happen, you mean that it is obvious.It stands to reason that if you are considerate and friendly to people you will get a lot more back...
Smith isn't his real name, that stands to reason.
30) PHRASE: V inflects If you stand in the way of something or stand in a person's way, you prevent that thing from happening or prevent that person from doing something.The British government would not stand in the way of such a proposal...
It is his decision to go to America and who am I to stand in his way?
Phrasal Verbs:- stand by- stand in- stand up
English dictionary. 2008.
