stand
verb /stænd/
/stænd/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbspresent simple I / you / we / they stand | /stænd/ /stænd/ |
he / she / it stands | /stændz/ /stændz/ |
past simple stood | /stʊd/ /stʊd/ |
past participle stood | /stʊd/ /stʊd/ |
-ing form standing | /ˈstændɪŋ/ /ˈstændɪŋ/ |
- She was too weak to stand.
- + adv./prep. a bird standing on one leg
- Don't just stand there—do something!
- I was standing only a few feet away.
- We all stood around in the corridor waiting.
- to stand on your head/hands (= to be upside down, balancing on your head/hands)
- + adj. Stand still while I take your photo.
- stand doing something We stood talking for a few minutes.
- People stood waiting for a bus in the rain.
- After the earthquake, only a few houses were left standing.
Extra Examples- He felt so weak he could hardly stand.
- The man stood with his arms folded.
- She stands with her back to the camera.
- We stood side by side.
- The painting shows a figure standing on a river bank.
- People are shown standing or sitting in various poses.
- Please remain standing until the judge takes her seat.
- He stood stiffly in the middle of the room.
- That's me standing in the middle on the back row.
- She came and stood next to me.
- You have to stand outside to smoke.
- She stood silently staring at the screen.
- She stood shyly in the corner, sipping her drink.
- people standing in line at the supermarket
- Soldiers stood guarding the gates.
- They stood facing each other.
- As they stood watching, the building began to burn.
- He stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure what to say.
- Her parents stood proudly at her side.
- I stood there staring at him.
- She stood on tiptoe to reach the shelf.
- She stood rooted to the spot, too afraid to move or speak.
- The roof was so low I could not stand upright.
- He stood and looked out to sea.
- He was standing on a chair, trying to change a light bulb.
- She stood by the window, gazing out.
- Stand still when I'm talking to you!
- She walks confidently, standing tall.
- He stood naked in front of the mirror.
- The kids were standing around chatting.
- There were several people standing at the counter.
- He grew up at 17 Leopold Strasse, where the house still stands.
- It was one of the few trees standing after the forest fire.
- They fought until only one man was left standing.
- These majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
- The wind damaged some of the crop so that it's no longer standing.
- Only a short portion of the fence is still standing.
- Most of the castle walls and both the towers still stand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- erect
- tall
- upright
- …
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- be left standing
- stand rooted to the spot
- Everyone stood when the president came in.
- stand up We stood up in order to get a better view.
- I tried to stand up and found myself in agony.
Synonyms standstand- get up
- stand up
- rise
- get to your feet
- be on your feet
- stand to be in an vertical position with your weight on your feet:
- She was too weak to stand.
- Stand still when I’m talking to you!
- get up to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position:
- Please don’t get up!
- stand up to be in a standing position; to stand after sitting:
- Stand up straight!
- Everyone would stand up when the teacher entered the classroom.
- rise (formal) to get into a standing position from a sitting, kneeling or lying position:
- Would you all rise, please, to welcome our visiting speaker.
- get to your feet to stand up after sitting, kneeling or lying:
- I helped her to get to her feet.
- be on your feet to be standing up:
- I’ve been on my feet all day.
Extra Examples- She stood and walked out of the room.
- He stood up to shake my hand.
- The crowd stood and cheered.
- Stand up so we can see you.
- We have to stand up when the headteacher comes into the room.
- The man slowly stood and started walking towards us.
- When he stands up I see that he's over six feet tall.
- Christine suddenly stood up and said, 'I have to go.'
- She finished eating, stood and pushed her chair back.
- [transitive] stand something/somebody + adv./prep. to put something/somebody in a vertical position somewhere
- Stand the ladder up against the wall.
- I stood the little girl on a chair so that she could see.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- erect
- tall
- upright
- …
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- be left standing
- stand rooted to the spot
- stand somebody/something I can't stand his brother.
- I can't stand the sight of blood.
- I can't stand it when you do that.
- stand doing something She couldn't stand being kept waiting.
- stand to do something She couldn't stand to be kept waiting.
- stand somebody/something doing something I can't stand people interrupting all the time.
- How do you stand him being here all the time?
Synonyms hatehate- dislike
- can’t stand
- despise
- can’t bear
- loathe
- detest
- hate to have a strong feeling of dislike for somebody/something. Although hate is generally a very strong verb, it is also commonly used in spoken or informal English to talk about people or things that you dislike in a less important way, for example a particular type of food: He hates violence in any form. • I’ve always hated cabbage.
- dislike (rather formal) to not like somebody/something. Dislike is a rather formal word; it is less formal, and more usual, to say that you don't like somebody/something, especially in spoken English: I don’t like it when you phone me so late at night.
- can’t stand (rather informal) used to emphasize that you really do not like somebody/something:
- I can’t stand his brother.
- She couldn’t stand being kept waiting.
- despise to dislike and have no respect for somebody/something:
- He despised himself for being so cowardly.
- can’t bear used to say that you dislike something so much that you cannot accept or deal with it:
- I can’t bear having cats in the house.
- loathe to hate somebody/something very much:
- They loathe each other.
- detest (rather formal) to hate somebody/something very much:
- They absolutely detest each other.
- I hate/dislike/can’t stand/can’t bear/loathe/detest doing something.
- I hate/can’t bear to do something.
- I hate/dislike/can’t stand/can’t bear it when…
- I really hate/dislike/can’t stand/despise/can’t bear/detest somebody/something.
- I absolutely hate/can’t stand/loathe/detest somebody/something.
Extra Examples- I can't stand that man!
- I can't stand bland food.
- One thing she can't stand is whining.
- Even with people I really can't stand, I try to be polite.
- You need to at least know if you can stand a person before you go travelling with them.
- Her friends can stand me, but they don't really love me.
- She couldn't stand the thought of being stuck with him all evening.
- Get out—I can't stand the sight of you!
- Get out—I can't stand to look at you!
- How can you stand it here?
- The two of them can barely stand each other.
- I used to love that album, though I can hardly stand it now.
- I just can't stand them talking about work non-stop.
- I can't stand it when he looks at me like that.
- She can't stand it when people are rude.
- I can't stand to listen to this garbage.
- I can't stand him looking at me like that.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + stand- can
- cannot
- can hardly
- …
- stand something His heart won't stand the strain much longer.
- Modern plastics can stand very high and very low temperatures.
- stand doing something It can stand being dropped from a great height without breaking.
- stand somebody doing something Can you stand me touching your hand or is it too sore?
- stand to do something I can't stand to see him suffer any more.
Extra Examples- He could stand the pain no more.
- How could she have stood such treatment for so long?
- Unable to stand the suspense, she opened the envelope.
- At last, unable to stand it any longer, she screamed at them to shut up.
- I'm not sure if the bookcase can stand any more weight.
- There is a limit to how much stress the crop will stand.
- I don't know how you can stand the heat.
- I gave up because I couldn't stand the pressure.
- The audience can stand about an hour before it starts to get restless.
- The grief of losing a child is more than anyone can stand.
- I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again.
- It was so bad, I couldn't stand to watch.
- I can't stand to touch it without flinching.
- It smells so bad that no-one can stand to come near it.
- She could barely stand to hear his name spoken without crying.
- She could barely stand hearing his name spoken without crying.
- They were unable to stand their father being treated with such disrespect.
- It will stand being heated to high temperatures.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + stand- can
- cannot
- can hardly
- …
- The castle stands on the site of an ancient battlefield.
- An old oak tree once stood here.
- Books stood in piles in the corner.
Extra Examples- He points up to where a ruined building stands, surrounded by bare trees.
- The two buildings stand back-to-back.
- The stone manor house stands halfway up a hill.
- There was a farm down the lane from where our house stood.
- A mature sycamore tree stands at the bottom of the garden.
- Here and there, dark trees stand.
- The monument stood in the middle of an artificial lake.
- A grandfather clock stands in the hall.
- There was a gaping hole where the tower once stood.
- The hotel stood about 65 metres above sea level on the cliff.
- + adj. The house stood empty for a long time.
- 'You're wrong about the date—it was 2008.’ ‘I stand corrected (= accept that I was wrong).'
- You stand accused of a terrible crime.
- You never know where you stand with her—one minute she's friendly, the next she'll hardly speak to you.
- As things stand, there is little chance of a quick settlement of the dispute.
Extra Examples- We stand ready to help if you ever need it.
- The machines stand idle because there is no one to operate them.
- The property stood vacant for about six years.
- His reputation deserves to stand higher than it does.
- Make sure you know where you stand before you commit to anything.
- I'd rather he was honest with me, then at least I'd know where I stand.
- Where do we stand? Are we going to be allowed to continue?
- Give me a call tomorrow and let me know how things stand then.
- As it stands (= in the current situation), there are two main sides to the debate.
- As it currently stands, takeovers by foreign companies need the approval of this committee.
- In the real world, as things currently stand, this rarely happens.
- (North American English usually run)[intransitive] to be a candidate in an election
- stand for something He stood for election in Colchester.
- He stood for parliament (= tried to get elected as an MP).
- stand as something She stood unsuccessfully as a candidate in the local elections.
- Her friends persuaded her to stand.
Extra ExamplesTopics Politicsb2- I have decided not to stand again.
- There are more than a dozen candidates standing.
- The company will make all its directors stand for re-election next year.
- Members of the Civil Service cannot stand for political office.
- He stood unsuccessfully for the party leadership.
- I'm standing for class president.
- He is standing for Oxford East in the election.
- She decided to stand as an independent.
- He was barred from standing as an MP.
- She stood as a Liberal in the June elections.
- He stood unsuccessfully as Mayor of New York.
- Two candidates will be standing against her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- successfully
- unsuccessfully
- decide to
- be allowed to
- against
- as
- for
- …
- somebody’s decision to stand
- stand for election
- [intransitive] + noun (not used in the progressive tenses) to be a particular height
- The tower stands 30 metres high.
- [intransitive] stand at something to be at a particular level, amount, height, etc.
- Interest rates stand at 3 per cent.
- The world record then stood at 6.59 metres.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to be in a particular place, especially while waiting to go somewhere
- The train standing at platform 3 is for London, Victoria.
- [intransitive] to remain still, without moving or being moved
- Mix the batter and let it stand for twenty minutes.
- standing pools of rainwater
- [intransitive] if an offer, a decision, etc. made earlier stands, it is still available or relevant or still exists
- My offer still stands.
- The world record stood for 20 years.
- [intransitive] stand to do something to be in a situation where you are likely to do something
- You stand to make a lot from this deal.
- Who stands to benefit the most?
- to stand to gain/lose something
- [intransitive] stand (on something) to have a particular attitude or opinion about something or towards somebody
- Where do you stand on private education?
- [transitive, no passive] to buy a drink or meal for somebody
- stand something He stood drinks all round.
- stand somebody something She was kind enough to stand us a meal.
on feet/be vertical
put upright
dislike
survive treatment
be in place/condition
in election
be at height/level
of car/train, etc.
of liquid/mixture
offer/decision
be likely to do something
have opinion
buy drink/meal
Word OriginOld English standan (verb), stand (noun), of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin stare and Greek histanai, also by the noun stead.
Idioms Idioms containing stand are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example stand on ceremony is at ceremony.