verb

stand

STAND

verb

To be upright on one's feet, or to rise into that position.

"She stood by the window watching the rain."

"He stood up to give his seat to the elderly passenger."

To be located or positioned somewhere.

"The old church still stands at the edge of the village."

To tolerate or endure something, usually in the negative.

"I can't stand the sound of nails on a chalkboard."

To remain valid or in effect.

"The court's ruling still stands despite the appeal."

To be a candidate in an election.

"She decided to stand for city council next year."

noun

A small stall or structure for selling goods, or a piece of furniture for holding something upright.

"They bought lemonade from a stand on the corner."

"He hung his coat on the coat stand."

How to Use Stand

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo be upright on your feet, to stay in one place, to put up with something, or a small stall/support for holding things.

Common mistake

In British English "stand for election" is common; in American English "run for election" is far more usual, though "stand" still appears in formal contexts.

Common pairings

take a stand stand for election can't stand it stand still

Word Forms

stood past tense, standen past tense, stand past tense, stooden past tense, stand plural, stood plural, stands plural, stands singular, stand singular, stood singular, standest singular, stoodst singular, stoodest singular, standeth singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The old church still _____ at the edge of the village.

Etymology

From Old English standan, "to stand, occupy a place," from a very old Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to stand" that also gave Latin stare and many related words across European languages.

Rhymes for stand

and hand sand band wand land rand gland brand bland grand Anand

See all rhymes for stand →