standby
noun
stand·by
| \ ˈstan(d)-ˌbī
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plural standbys\ ˈstan(d)-ˌbīz
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Definition of standby
(Entry 1 of 4)
1a
: one to be relied on especially in emergencies
b
: a favorite or reliable choice or resource
2
: one that is held in reserve ready for use : substitute
on standby
: ready or available for immediate action or use
standby
adjectiveDefinition of standby (Entry 2 of 4)
1
: held near at hand and ready for use
a standby power plant standby equipment
2
: relating to the act or condition of standing by
standby duty a standby period
3
: of, relating to, or traveling by an airline service in which the passenger must wait for an available unreserved seat
standby passengers a standby ticket
standby
adverbDefinition of standby (Entry 3 of 4)
: on a standby basis
fly standby
stand by
verb
stood by;
standing by;
stands by
Definition of stand by (Entry 4 of 4)
1
: to be present
also
: to remain apart or aloof
2
: to be or to get ready to act
an ambulance was standing by
: to remain loyal or faithful to : defend
stood by his decision
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Synonyms & Antonyms for standby
Synonyms: Noun
anchor, buttress, dependence (also dependance), mainstay, pillar, reliance
Synonyms: Verb
adhere (to), cling (to), hew (to), keep (to), stick (to or with)
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of standby in a Sentence
Noun
More police officers were sent as standbys. We bought an electric generator as a standby.Verb
no matter how much people object, I will stand by my decision
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Haryana has asked the army to remain on standby after 8.14 lakh cusec of water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage on the Yamuna river. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "At least 350 have already died in India’s monsoon floods this year—and it is not over yet," 19 Aug. 2019 Around forty potential islanders, including some contestants’ exes, or the exes of their exes, wait on standby to be dispatched to the villa during the course of the season. — Lou Stoppard, The New Yorker, "The Glorious Depravity of the British “Love Island”," 10 Aug. 2019 In Scott County, teachers and staff are on standby. — Sarah Fowler, USA TODAY, "Where are Mom and Dad? School on standby to help children in aftermath of ICE raids," 8 Aug. 2019 Two officers equipped with carbine rifles and door-breaching tools will be on standby to respond to an active-shooter situation in each zone. — Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, "San Jose police launch ‘guardian’ program to beef up active-shooter response," 8 Aug. 2019 Authorities also are considering whether to have Oregon National Guard’s rapid response teams, which have trained with the Police Bureau’s crowd control teams in the past, involved, at least on standby. — oregonlive.com, "Portland police chief to protesters intent on violence: ‘Don’t come. We don’t want you here. I don’t care what side you’re on.’," 5 Aug. 2019 Position: Defender FIFA 19 Rating: 60 FIFA 20 Predicted Rating: 60 The rapid right-back was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma back in 2018 which put his promising young career on standby. — SI.com, "FIFA 20: Every D.C. United Player's Predicted Ultimate Team Rating," 2 Aug. 2019 Crews from the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived at the runway and were on standby, Mester said. — Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Military plane lands safely at Mitchell International Airport after flight emergency reported," 25 July 2019 Local commander Luis Belo Costa tells a news conference that 17 water-dropping aircraft are also on standby. — Washington Post, "Portugal officials: major wildfire is mostly under control," 23 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
For all anyone knows, the lander touched down safely on the target area and is sitting in standby mode, awaiting instruction from ground control. — The Economist, "Bangalore, we have a problem," 7 Sep. 2019 For more intensive household needs, the go-to solution has traditionally been a portable or standby generator. — Jason H. Harper, Los Angeles Times, "Shelter Me Column: How to cope with power loss during wildfire season," 23 Aug. 2019 And since there’s no standby heat loss with point-of-use water heaters, all the energy consumed is delivered at the tap. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How a Water Heater Works," 17 Aug. 2019 The translator also has a microphone, a speaker and a battery that lasts for 24 hours of translation or 180 days of standby time. — Dallas News, "Magic? Handheld translator helps you communicate using artificial intelligence," 18 July 2019 The plan encourages parents to designate a standby guardian to prevent children from being placed in state care. — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, "Connecticut immigrants, state officials bracing for threat of immigration raids," 12 July 2019 Related Stories The Power Max P18K Pop is, according to official specifications, 18mm or 7/10ths of an inch thick, storing a battery that can allegedly power two days of video playback and a standby time of up to 50 days. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "This Energizer Phone Is Thicker Than You Could Ever Want, and That's Fantastic," 26 Feb. 2019 The Fire 7 and Onn tablets have incredibly short standby lifespans. — Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, "A $50 tablet can handle the basics, but not much more," 2 July 2019 By the time our plane landed about 9 p.m. in Dallas, the 8 p.m. Miami flight we had been scheduled to work had departed, staffed with standby flight attendants from our crew base in Dallas. — Elliott Hester, latimes.com, "That flight attendant in a passenger seat? He's not on duty so leave him alone," 1 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
According to the JetBlue website, customers with travel planned between September 5 and September 17 can rebook or travel standby without paying additional fees. — Natasha Bach, Fortune, "Satellite Image Shows Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Katia in One Powerful Portrait," 7 Sep. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Medals were awarded to foreigners who had stood by the unborn country in its hour of need. — The Economist, "Twenty years after its vote for independence, Timor-Leste looks back," 1 Sep. 2019 Lowe said of Dovantae’s siblings, who stood by Loretto’s emergency room entrance, one of them with trembling hands, as Jackson coaxed her to sit down. — Alice Yin, chicagotribune.com, "15-year-old boy killed in Austin shooting, just days before he would have started high school," 1 Sep. 2019 He was subsequently cleared, but Mr. Daltrey, who failed to save Moon and Entwistle despite best efforts, and who stood by Mr. Townshend once convinced of his partner’s innocence, sank into a deep depression. — Tony Fletcher, WSJ, "‘Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite’ Review: The Hardest-Working Man in Rock," 14 Dec. 2018 Yet for all that, the GOP — or roughly 90% of it, according to polls — is standing by its man. — Steve Lopezcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Michelle Obama for president. The only one who can beat Trump?," 24 Aug. 2019 This June, Wanda stood by Thelma’s simple horizontal headstone in the family cemetery. — USA Today, "The founding family you’ve never heard of: The black Tuckers of Hampton, Virginia," 22 Aug. 2019 Evans was standing by one of the store's two entrances, checking emails on his phone when the gunfire began. — Steve Almasy And Dave Alsup, CNN, "Walmart to reopen store where El Paso massacre took place with memorial for victims," 21 Aug. 2019 The world has stood by in horror, watching the death toll rise and the humanitarian and refugee crises spread their indelible stain on the world map and human history. — Annabelle Timsit, Quartz India, "A British journal has upset a lot of Indians by weighing in on Kashmir," 19 Aug. 2019 Chute, at the time, stood by Slavin’s report on the incident. — Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, "Probe clears New Britain police officer involved in 2017 deadly shooting of using excessive force in July arrest," 16 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'standby.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.