stand up

verb, adj, noun — 19 senses

stand up

verbalso spelled stand-up

Etymology From Middle English standen up, from Old English standan up; equivalent to stand + up. Compare Old Norse standa upp.

10 senses
  1. 1To rise from a lying or sitting position.
  2. 2To bring something up and set it into a standing…
  3. 3(stand someone up) To avoid a prearranged meeting…
  4. 4To last or endure over a period of time.
  5. 5To continue to be believable, consistent, or plausible.
  6. 6To stand immediately behind the wicket so as to catch…
  7. 7To launch, propel upwards
  8. 8To formally activate and commission (a unit, formation, etc.).
  9. 9To make one's voice heard, to speak up.
  10. 10To serve in a role during a wedding ceremony.
1

To rise from a lying or sitting position.

  • Stand up, then sit down again.
  • He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance.[…]But she said she must go back, and when they joined the crowd again[…]she found her mother standing up before the seat on which she had sat all the evening searching anxiously for her with her eyes, and her father by her side.1909 September 9, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter I, in The Squire’s Daughter, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC:
2

To bring something up and set it into a standing position; to set something up.

  • Laura stood the sofa up on end.
3

Idiomatic (stand someone up) To avoid a prearranged meeting, especially a date, with (a person) without prior notification; to jilt or shirk.

  • John stood Laura up at the movie theater.
  • — What?! Why did you come HERE then? You should be at a hospital! — A gentleman never stands a lady up.2008 Oct. 20, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content 1255: Consummate
4

Of a thing To last or endure over a period of time.

  • Both Venus 5 and Venus 6 had apparently stood up well under the rigors of their 217-million-mile trips.1969 May 23, “Planetary Exploration: Doubleheader on Venus”, in Time:
5

Of a person or narrative To continue to be believable, consistent, or plausible.

  • Ehrlichman's story did not stand up under Neal's grilling.1974 December 23, “Watergate: Getting Out What Truth?”, in Time:
  • This kind of evidence wouldn't stand up in court.2013, Dennis Ford, Things Don't Add Up: A Novel of Kennedy Assassination Research:
6

Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Of a wicket-keeper To stand immediately behind the wicket so as to catch balls from a slow or spin bowler, and to attempt to stump the batsman.

7

To launch, propel upwards

  • It was a dreadful goal to concede as Ariel Ibagaza was able to take a short corner and then receive the return ball in space on the left. He stood up a floated cross into the middle where Fuster arrived unmarked to steer a header into the corner.2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2-1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport:
8

Government, Military, Politics, War US To formally activate and commission (a unit, formation, etc.).

9

To make one's voice heard, to speak up.

  • But my biblical and theological commitments tell me we need to stand up and be counted for the issues of neighbor care and creation care. We need to speak up.2008, Lindy Scott, Christians, the Care of Creation, and Global Climate Change, Wipf and Stock Publishers, →ISBN, page 4:
  • We're a lion sitting under the tree, watching the hyenas as they stalk our territory. They're coming right up to us. They scratch. They push. They're eating our food! At a certain point, we need to remember that we're a f***ing lion. We need to stand up, and we need to f**ing roar!2015, Jeremy Gutsche, Better and Faster: The Proven Path to Unstoppable Ideas, Crown, →ISBN, page 15:
2 more examples
  • Don't we as citizens deserve the truth? We need to stand up and demand answers.2015, Christopher Bollen, Orient, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 160:
  • We need to stand up and stop this happening right here right now. China needs to know the United States will not tolerate the wholesale thievery of U.S. technology and trade secrets.2017, BusinessNews Publishing, Summary: Time to Get Tough: Review and Analysis of Donald Trump's Book, Primento, →ISBN, page 8:
10

Formal To serve in a role during a wedding ceremony.

  • Will you stand up for me (as my best man) at the wedding?
  • The bridesmaids will stand up over there during the ceremony.
Derived terms
stand-up, stand up and be counted, stand up and give it to him, stand up for, stand-up meeting, stand up on one's hind legs, standupper, stand up to, stand up to be counted, stand up with, will the real someone please stand up
Related terms
stand, stand down, sit down, sit up, lie down, get up

stand-up

adj

/ˈstændˌʌp/

Etymology Deverbal from stand up.

1

Honest; honorable; genuine.

  • He's a stand-up guy, and a hard worker.
  • For the first time on an English railway there was a good stand-up smash between a heavy steam-engine and a train of light cars, and it was 'bad for the coo.'1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
2

Upright; while standing.

  • stand-up comedy
3

Performed while standing although normally done while sitting.

  • Every morning we have a stand-up meeting.
4

Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Of a hit That allows the batter to advance to a given base (usually second or third) without having to slide.

  • stand-up double; stand-up triple
Derived terms
stand-up bass, stand-up bassist, stand-up comedy, stand-up guy, stand-up hockey, stand-up meeting

stand-up

noun

Etymology Deverbal from stand up.

1

A performance of stand-up comedy; jokes delivered standing on a stage

  • Sometimes the club has music, sometimes stand-up.
2

A comedian who performs on stage.

3

A news broadcast delivered by an announcer who is filmed standing near the scene of the event.

  • Reporters covet standups rather than the voiceover narration of news footage because it puts their faces on the air.2012, R. M. Reed, M. K. Reed, The Encyclopedia of Television, Cable, and Video, page 508:
4

A short meeting throughout which participants remain standing (to encourage brevity).

  • How come you weren't at the stand-up this morning?
  • Esther Crawford, a project manager, asked people to join a “standup” meeting at 9:30 p.m. in San Francisco on Thursday as some layoff notices went out.2022 November 4, Kate Conger, Ryan Mac, Mike Isaac, “Confusion and Frustration Reign as Elon Musk Cuts Half of Twitter’s Staff”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
5

A free-standing photographic print or promotional item; a standee.

Related terms
stand, stand up

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for stand up and stand-up.