stand·by
ˈstan(d)-ˌbī 
plural standbys
ˈstan(d)-ˌbīz
1
a
: 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
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
: on a standby basis
fly standby
stood by; standing by; stands by
1
: to be present
also
: to remain apart or aloof
2
: to be or to get ready to act
an ambulance was standing by
: to remain loyal or faithful to : defend
stood by his decision
Synonyms
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
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
George Ball, chairman of the large private wealth manager Sanders Morris Harris, told Fortune last December that people would regret neglecting the old standby.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
Southwest has also revamped its Wanna Get Away fare class, which is its base fare, and now allows travelers who purchase that ticket to fly same-day standby for free.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2023
But perhaps even more common than those is sandalwood, a classic standby that has stood the olfactory test of time for thousands of years.
—Garrett Munce, Men's Health, 3 Sep. 2023
To get Asa and Chris-Anne to the scale, keeper Trish Jarvis has blueberries, grapes and apple slices on standby.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Where legal, Griffin recommends having a buddy on standby with a net.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
Weddings for as few as 20 or as many as 275 guests are held primarily outdoors in any of six locations (with a tent on standby in case of rain), include a pre-wedding bridal suite, and the option for a mansion reception (up to 75 guests) overlooking the Italian garden.
—Kelsy Chauvin, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Nov. 2023
Course marshals and event officials will also be on standby to assist.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2023
Those with window seats, exit row seats and standby seats will board right after the first and premium classes, followed by those in middle seats, then those in aisle seats.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2023
And standby generators are quieter than their portable counterparts.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Each show has its own system, from lotteries to standby lines, for distributing tickets to the live tapings.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2023
Probably best just to set your brains to standby mode and focus on the fireworks.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
Porcelain Tile In terms of classic or standby solutions for basement floors, tile has been a longtime go-to.
—Katy Spratte Joyce, ELLE Decor, 31 Aug. 2023
There are several factors to consider before buying a standby generator.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, standby generators can power an entire home, turning on automatically should an outage occur.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2023
Susan Glaser, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2020
Silver status grants access to the Priority Reservations Waitlist (a waitlist to get a seat in a higher class) and gives travelers higher priority when flying standby.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
Earlier this year, American also eliminated ticketing fees such as charges to fly standby on a same-day domestic flight—which used to cost passengers $75—as well as nixing $150 mileage reinstatement fees for customers who cancel travel originally booked with frequent flier miles.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2020
These days, hardly anyone is aware of the scientific reasoning behind this playground standby.
—Luke D. Fannin, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
Flying by plane with the Army usually meant flying standby.
—Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2021
All customers with flights scheduled for Wednesday may rebook or fly standby within 14 days of their original travel dates without paying any extra fees.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
On Saturday, players and coaches went to the St. Louis airport at 5 a.m. to try to fly standby.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Once, while flying standby back from Europe, I was bumped off a flight 41 times in a row. Apologies.
—Chuck Wilcoxen, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2021
Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
The Defense Department stood by its use of the plane in 2015 after one Marine was killed and 21 injured in a crash at a military base in Hawaii.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023
Still, perhaps that’s the best way to approach an emotionally heated moment like this one: Keep cool, stand by your employees, stick to your core values, and express real empathy for anyone who is affected.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
Israeli military officials stood by while the family members hugged each other.
—Brie Stimson, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2023
Whereas some other sports agencies might have kept its distance from such a high-profile scandal, Zamarripa said, his agency stood by its client, Hermoso.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023
Instead of standing by the stove the entire time manually stirring the pot, this self-rotating stirrer can stand on its own and mix at three adjustable levels for a variety of different foods.
—Micaela Arnett, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
Under the rules that the Court stands by, the Justices have behaved ethically all along.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
Publicly, state officials stood by that timeline for most of this week, saying the freeway was likely to reopen in December.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
Behind him stood an ambulance the military had put on standby, its lights silently flashing.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
George Ball, chairman of the large private wealth manager Sanders Morris Harris, told Fortune last December that people would regret neglecting the old standby.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
Southwest has also revamped its Wanna Get Away fare class, which is its base fare, and now allows travelers who purchase that ticket to fly same-day standby for free.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2023
But perhaps even more common than those is sandalwood, a classic standby that has stood the olfactory test of time for thousands of years.
—Garrett Munce, Men's Health, 3 Sep. 2023
To get Asa and Chris-Anne to the scale, keeper Trish Jarvis has blueberries, grapes and apple slices on standby.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Where legal, Griffin recommends having a buddy on standby with a net.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 15 Nov. 2023
Weddings for as few as 20 or as many as 275 guests are held primarily outdoors in any of six locations (with a tent on standby in case of rain), include a pre-wedding bridal suite, and the option for a mansion reception (up to 75 guests) overlooking the Italian garden.
—Kelsy Chauvin, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Nov. 2023
Course marshals and event officials will also be on standby to assist.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Many of my memories revolve around the destinations my family visited with our standby privileges, but literally all of my memories include a single piece of luggage: my mom’s rolling backpack.
—Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2023
Those with window seats, exit row seats and standby seats will board right after the first and premium classes, followed by those in middle seats, then those in aisle seats.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2023
And standby generators are quieter than their portable counterparts.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Each show has its own system, from lotteries to standby lines, for distributing tickets to the live tapings.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2023
Probably best just to set your brains to standby mode and focus on the fireworks.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
Porcelain Tile In terms of classic or standby solutions for basement floors, tile has been a longtime go-to.
—Katy Spratte Joyce, ELLE Decor, 31 Aug. 2023
There are several factors to consider before buying a standby generator.
—Laura Daily, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Meanwhile, standby generators can power an entire home, turning on automatically should an outage occur.
—Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2023
Adverb
The new policy was announced Sunday, along with another significant change – United travelers can now fly standby for free on flights departing the day of their travel.
—Susan Glaser, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2020
Silver status grants access to the Priority Reservations Waitlist (a waitlist to get a seat in a higher class) and gives travelers higher priority when flying standby.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
Earlier this year, American also eliminated ticketing fees such as charges to fly standby on a same-day domestic flight—which used to cost passengers $75—as well as nixing $150 mileage reinstatement fees for customers who cancel travel originally booked with frequent flier miles.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2020
These days, hardly anyone is aware of the scientific reasoning behind this playground standby.
—Luke D. Fannin, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
Flying by plane with the Army usually meant flying standby.
—Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2021
All customers with flights scheduled for Wednesday may rebook or fly standby within 14 days of their original travel dates without paying any extra fees.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
On Saturday, players and coaches went to the St. Louis airport at 5 a.m. to try to fly standby.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Once, while flying standby back from Europe, I was bumped off a flight 41 times in a row. Apologies.
—Chuck Wilcoxen, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2021
Verb
Phillips, of course, stands by the Cartier London Crash.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2023
The Defense Department stood by its use of the plane in 2015 after one Marine was killed and 21 injured in a crash at a military base in Hawaii.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023
Still, perhaps that’s the best way to approach an emotionally heated moment like this one: Keep cool, stand by your employees, stick to your core values, and express real empathy for anyone who is affected.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
Israeli military officials stood by while the family members hugged each other.
—Brie Stimson, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2023
Whereas some other sports agencies might have kept its distance from such a high-profile scandal, Zamarripa said, his agency stood by its client, Hermoso.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023
Instead of standing by the stove the entire time manually stirring the pot, this self-rotating stirrer can stand on its own and mix at three adjustable levels for a variety of different foods.
—Micaela Arnett, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
Under the rules that the Court stands by, the Justices have behaved ethically all along.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023
Publicly, state officials stood by that timeline for most of this week, saying the freeway was likely to reopen in December.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1712, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adjective
1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
1971, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of standby was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing standby
Dictionary Entries Near standby
Cite this Entry
“Standby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standby. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
standby
1 of 4 noun
stand·by
ˈstan(d)-ˌbī
plural standbys
-ˌbīz
: one available or to be relied on especially in emergencies
standby
2 of 4 adjective1
: held near at hand and ready for use
standby equipment
2
: relating to the act of standing by
a standby period
3
: of or relating to a mode of transportation (as airline service) in which the passengers must wait for an available unreserved spot
a standby ticket
standby
3 of 4 adverb
: as a standby passenger
flying standby
stand by
4 of 4 verb(ˈ)stan(d)-ˈbī
1
: to be present
stood by, watching the game
2
: to be or to get ready to act
ambulances are standing by
3
: to remain loyal or faithful
stood by us to the end
stood by his decision
More from Merriam-Webster on standby
Nglish: Translation of standby for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of standby for Arabic Speakers
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