standby

noun

stand·by | \ ˈstan(d)-ˌbī

plural standbys\ ˈstan(d)-ˌbīz

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

adjective

Definition 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

adverb

Definition of standby (Entry 3 of 4)

: on a standby basis fly standby

stand by

verb

Definition of stand by (Entry 4 of 4)

intransitive verb

1 : to be present also : to remain apart or aloof

2 : to be or to get ready to act an ambulance was standing by

transitive verb

: to remain loyal or faithful to : defend stood by his decision

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about standby

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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

European ports of entry dominated this year's list, with a few Asian and Middle Eastern standbys in the mix. — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Airports in the World: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 The boat was still waiting for instructions from authorities and on standby in international waters, SOS Mediterranee said. — Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, "Spain Offers to End Standoff Between Italy and Malta Over Migrant Boat," 11 June 2018 Emergency services have issued a red alert, placing extra services such as medical staff and firefighters on standby through Sunday. — Fox News, "The Latest: More risk of wildfires in scorched Sweden," 3 Aug. 2018 Opened only last year, the Lower East Side hot spot has already become a local standby, and the upstairs lounges are crowded with creatives in various attitudes of hip—an unlikely setting for a sexagenarian Swiss in business attire. — Ian Volner, WSJ, "Swiss Architecture Firm Herzog & De Meuron Celebrates 40 Years," 4 Nov. 2018 One menu standby — and its best — is its Northern Italian Maltagliati pasta with braised rabbit meat and carrots, herbaceous and brimming with a rich white-wine-and-butter sauce. — Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times, "The best dinner-for-two deal in Seattle: a bottle of wine and 2 pasta entrees for $35," 18 Sep. 2018 The National Guard has helicopters on standby, just in case. — Carter Evans, CBS News, "Lava flow from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano blocking escape routes," 31 May 2018 Despite Tarkowski being the only defender on standby, TalkSPORT commentator Nigel Adderley claimed Southgate has no plans of replacing the Premier League defender. — SI.com, "Burnley's James Tarkowski Withdraws From England Standby List Ahead of Groin Surgery," 27 May 2018 Arguably, Elizabeth Harvest is about those favorite science-fiction standbys: identity, hubris, and humanity’s darkest sides. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Elizabeth Harvest is a high-tech, twist-packed take on the Bluebeard myth," 17 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Installing a standby generator is no DIY project, either. — David Agrell, Popular Mechanics, "Should You Buy a Standby Generator?," 11 Sep. 2018 Carolina Herrera is one of the royals' standby designers; earlier this week, Meghan Markle wore a Herrera gown for a formal meeting with the King of Morocco. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Gets Sporty in a Barbour Jacket, Ralph Lauren Sweater, and Sneakers," 27 Feb. 2019 In the half-century since Fontana slashed his paintings, any number of artists have followed his lead in deconstructing that old standby art object, the painting made on a piece of canvas stretched over a rectangular frame. — Peter Plagens, WSJ, "‘Lucio Fontana: On the Threshold’ Review: Creativity That Cuts Against the Grain," 22 Jan. 2019 For those unable to snag one of the free tickets (though there is a standby line), milelongopera.com offers 360-degree videos. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "‘The Mile-Long Opera: A Biography of 7 O’Clock’ Review: A Theme-Park Performance," 8 Oct. 2018 This chip will be aimed at ultra-mobile systems with the processor measuring 12×12×1mm and having a standby power of 2mW. Intel's not the only one to want to use different processes for different bits of a processor. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Intel introduces Foveros: 3D die stacking for more than just memory," 12 Dec. 2018 He’s squeezed the ole standby lying-to-investigators plea out of a few targets. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, "Doubling Down on Mueller," 15 Nov. 2018 With PlayFab, developers need only pay for the server resources actually in use, plus a little extra for some standby capacity. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Microsoft wants Azure to be the multiplayer server solution for every platform," 14 Nov. 2018 Get in the standby line during the last hour the park is open. — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Get on Any Disney World Ride in 30 Minutes or Less," 8 Nov. 2018

Recent 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. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Other Senate Republicans have stood by the president’s plan, calling it a necessary measure in the face of Democratic resistance to building a border wall. — Natalie Andrews And Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "Congress to Weigh Measures to Nullify Trump’s Emergency Order," 21 Feb. 2019 A few years later, the studios stood by baffled as big-budget spectacles failed, while Dennis Hopper enjoyed tremendous success with younger viewers via the strange, low-budget Easy Rider. — Keith Phipps, The Verge, "Netflix’s Orson Welles revival is strange, fascinating, and frustrating," 1 Nov. 2018 While some sat in ununiform rows and others stood by in clusters, the space only subtly resembled a place of worship. — Andrew Bevan, Vogue, "Erin Wasson and Barth Tassy Combined Their Texas and French Riviera Roots With a “Ranch Tropez” Wedding in Austin," 14 Aug. 2018 In a speech to Venezuela’s exile community in South Florida on Monday, Trump warned Venezuela’s military that standing by Maduro could bring disastrous consequences. — Fabiola Sanchez, The Seattle Times, "AP Explains: Venezuela opposition’s fight to win over troops," 20 Feb. 2019 Today's focus is on AI in manufacturing and space—stand by to blast off! — Alyson Behr, Ars Technica, "NASA’s next Mars rover will use AI to be a better science partner," 6 Dec. 2018 That says: That’s my (great-)grandma, stand by here. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Precious possessions: The genocide survivors who kept them tell their stories," 13 July 2018 That's happened at Spaceflight Industries, which will sometimes pull out a particular smallsat that needs or wants to fly sooner, and then swap in a spacecraft from another customer that's either been standing by for less time or cares less. — Sarah Scoles, WIRED, "Never Prebook Your Return Flight From a Rocket Launch," 6 July 2018 Prosecutors stand by their charging decisions in those cases, a spokeswoman said. — John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, "Prosecutors: Trooper charged with ATV murder used Taser to punish people," 7 June 2018

These 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.