1
a
: not yet cut or harvested
standing timber
standing grain
b
: upright on the feet or base : erect
the standing audience
2
: not flowing : stagnant
standing water
3
a
: remaining at the same level, degree, or amount for an indeterminate period
a standing offer
b
: continuing in existence or use indefinitely
a standing joke
4
: established by law or custom
5
: not movable
6
: done from a standing position
a standing jump
a standing ovation
1
2
a
: length of service or experience especially as determining rank, pay, or privilege
b
: position or condition in society or in a profession
especially
: good reputation
a member in good standing
3
: maintenance of position or condition : duration
a custom of long standing
Examples of standing in a Sentence
Adjective
Start the exercise in a standing position.
The standing offer for the computer system is $1,499.
Noun
a lawyer of high standing
They've won five games in a row and are starting to move up in the standings.
They're in first place in the current standings.
a marriage of many years' standing
Recent Examples on the Web
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025
Iran boasts a large standing force but also relies on proxies and undercover operations that have been severely disabled in recent months by U.S. and Israeli actions.
—Christopher Bodeen, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
John Kania, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
As Hurts celebrates his first Super Bowl MVP, NFL media, fans, and former players have debated Hurts' standing as a top quarterback in the game.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for standing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
The new Champion Golfer of the Year gave another example of his extraordinary superiority in men's professional golf, earning standing ovations from the crowd at Royal Portrush.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025
Iran boasts a large standing force but also relies on proxies and undercover operations that have been severely disabled in recent months by U.S. and Israeli actions.
—Christopher Bodeen, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Noun
His chance to establish himself as a strategic voice, the trust of peers who depend on his expertise to move discussions forward and his standing as the go-to leader for market intelligence.
—John Kania, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
As Hurts celebrates his first Super Bowl MVP, NFL media, fans, and former players have debated Hurts' standing as a top quarterback in the game.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for standing
Cite this Entry
“Standing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standing. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
standing
2 of 2 noun1
: the action or position of one that stands
2
: length of existence or service : duration
a quarrel of long standing
3
a
: position or rank as compared with others
had the highest standing in the class
b
: good reputation
people of standing in the community
Legal Definition
standing
1 of 2 adjective
stand·ing
: continuing in existence, use, or effect indefinitely
a standing order
standing
2 of 2 noun1
: the status of being qualified to assert or enforce legal rights or duties in a judicial forum because one has a sufficient and protectable interest in the outcome of a justiciable controversy and usually has suffered or is threatened with actual injury
only one who already has standing can argue the public interest in support of his claim—Hawaii's Thousand Friends v. Anderson, 768 P.2d 1293 (1989)
Hawaii's Thousand Friends v. Anderson, 768 P.2d 1293 (1989)2
: a principle requiring that a party have standing in order to justify the exercise of the court's remedial powers
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