stand-in

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of stand-innext
1
: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied
2

stand in

2 of 2

verb

stood in; standing in; stands in

intransitive verb

: to act as a stand-in
see also:

Examples of stand-in in a Sentence

Noun hired him at the last minute as a stand-in for the person who quit Verb she will be standing in for the regular teacher for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In the meantime, his stand-in, Alex, demonstrated his quality. Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 Looking for a gentler stand-in? Jenny Berg, InStyle, 4 June 2026
Verb
That statement stood in stark contrast to the longstanding stodginess of the Kings, which dissipated into flat-out ineffectiveness under Jim Hiller for three quarters of last season until he was sacked. Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 11 June 2026 Dogs would be at the other end of the scale, metonymic creatures that stand in for us—and did for Diogenes—by virtue of their cultural proximity. Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stand-in

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stand-in was in 1904

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stand-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-in. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

stand-in

1 of 2 noun
ˈstan-ˌdin
1
: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied
2

stand in

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)stan-ˈdin
: to act as a stand-in
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster