stand-up

1 of 3

adjective

ˈstand-ˌəp 

1

a

: erect, upright

b

: stiffened to stay upright without folding over

a stand-up collar

2

or less commonly standup : performed in, performing in, or requiring a standing position

a stand-up bar

especially : of, relating to, performing, or being a monologue of jokes, gags, or satirical comments delivered usually while standing alone on a stage or in front of a camera

stand-up comedy

a stand-up comedian

3

: marked by a high degree of personal integrity or loyalty

a stand-up guy

stand-up

2 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly standup

1

: stand-up comedy

also : a performer of such comedy

2

: a television broadcast in which the reporter or narrator faces the camera with the scene of the story in the background

stand up

3 of 3

verb

stood up; standing up; stands up

intransitive verb

1

: to rise to a standing position

2

: to remain sound and intact under stress, attack, or close scrutiny

need evidence that will stand up in court

transitive verb

informal

: to fail to keep an appointment with

Where were you yesterday? You stood me up.

see also:

stand up for stand up to stand up with

Synonyms of stand-up

Adjective

• honorable
• honest
• ethical
• decent
• upright
• respectable
• principled
• noble

Verb

• fly
• work
• hold up

Examples of stand-up in a Sentence

Adjective

a real stand-up guy, he's willing to raise the child—by himself if necessary

a puppy with stand-up ears

Verb

a hypothesis that won't stand up to close analysis

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The high-collar silhouette, a stand-up neckline that extends several inches above the shoulders with no lapel break, is showing up on runways, in mass-market store windows and across editorial coverage heading into the colder months. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Not that this strictly counts as stand-up comedy, but certainly a lot of it is in that sphere or involves those skills. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026

Noun

The comedian and performer has long excavated his Midwestern roots for his stand-up. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Paddle & Pour attendees do not need to own stand-up paddleboarding gear to participate — rentals are available to book ahead of time, for $50 per board. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Verb

Should Nvidia — which also has a software component and brings with it networking expertise needed to fully stand up data centers — really trade at the same multiple as the supplier of a single component? — Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Sheeran, on the other end, faced intense backlash for not standing up for the rapper and avoiding picking a side. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun

1954, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for stand-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

stand up

verb

1

: to rise to a standing position

2

: to remain in good condition

stands up to repeated washings

3

: to fail to keep an appointment with