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
adjectiveDefinition 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
adverbDefinition of standby (Entry 3 of 4)
: on a standby basis
fly standby
stand by
verbstood by; standing by; stands by
Definition of stand by (Entry 4 of 4)
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for standby
Synonyms: Noun
- anchor,
- buttress,
- dependence
- (also dependance),
- mainstay,
- pillar,
- reliance
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Verb
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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The state has opened temporary field hospitals in Costa Mesa, Porterville, Sacramento and Imperial, with other facilities on standby in Riverside, Richmond, Fresno, San Diego and San Francisco.
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Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, "O.C. hospitals told not to divert ambulances despite influx of COVID-19 patients," 17 Dec. 2020 The state has about 300 open ICU beds, and 400 more on 72-hour standby, but the openings are distributed unevenly.
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Joe Carlson, Star Tribune, "Minnesota COVID-19 cases soaring as families make Thanksgiving plans," 15 Nov. 2020 The headphones can withstand long car trips, with 12 hours of battery life and 180-hour standby.
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Popular Science, "Four Bluetooth headphones that protect your kids’ ears," 16 July 2020 Local doctors' offices and other local health care centers are being put on standby to start delivering the vaccine, with a small number expected to do so the week of Dec. 14.
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Pan Pylas, Star Tribune, "UK gears up for huge vaccination plan watched by the world," 6 Dec. 2020 This Lakeview standby was ready to reopen in June, way back in reopening Phase 2, when a fire that ripped through the adjacent Parlay’s bar caused smoke damage here.
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Ian Mcnulty | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "Ready for some good news? From Lakeview to French Quarter, more well-known restaurants reopen," 21 Oct. 2020 British doctors were put on standby for a possible rollout before Christmas.
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Tribune News Service, al, "UK poised to be first to approve Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine," 29 Nov. 2020 Additionally, 250 National Guardsmen were put on standby in the event there are protests downtown.
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Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, "Federal authorities boost White House security in preparation for election protests," 2 Nov. 2020 Funeral homes are preparing extra morgue space and putting refrigeration trucks on standby, Samaniego said.
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Dallas News, "El Paso hospitals are full as border city continues to shatter coronavirus records," 26 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Even better, American and United have eliminated standby fees on all tickets, a huge plus for anyone who sometimes like to catch an earlier flight home.
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Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "It’s a whole new world of Midwest travel: What rules changed while you were in your basement?," 24 Dec. 2020 The Australian standby Kylie Minogue rolled out a glittery album titled—get this—Disco.
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Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "How Disco Defined 2020," 23 Dec. 2020 According to the governor, the state has 60 53-foot refrigerated storage units on standby in various counties and at various hospitals, ready to receive bodies if necessary.
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Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, "Essential California: Grim preparations and a scramble for medical staff," 16 Dec. 2020 The health system is on standby, people and resources are on call and supply chains are stocked.
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Matthew Brockett, Bloomberg.com, "New Zealand Says It’s Ready if Virus Returns In Summer Vacation," 15 Dec. 2020 Strike teams, or small groups of firefighters, have been deployed on 24-hour shifts to stations in Malibu, Santa Clarita and La Cañada Flintridge, and pilots are on standby Thursday through Saturday, Narvaez said.
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Alejandra Reyes-velarde, Los Angeles Times, "Santa Ana winds will bring extremely dangerous fire conditions and power shut-offs this week," 1 Dec. 2020 Situated in a repurposed concrete tank, which previously held standby water for the factory’s fire protection system, Skyspace includes a retractable roof cap as well as a programmable light system.
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Robin Pogrebin, New York Times, "Director of Mass MoCA, Playground for Artists, Moves On," 18 Nov. 2020 What’s more, the camera turns on with your car battery and uses motion detection to go into standby mode when static.
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Popular Science, "Save more than $50 on this dash cam perfect for any driver," 17 Nov. 2020 Segura was scheduled to go to trial Monday, but that is on standby as prosecutors handle unrelated cases.
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Chao Xiong, Star Tribune, "Charges: Former Hennepin County probation officer abused job to help suspect in New Year's Eve murder," 16 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Flying standby on the same day and putting frequent flier miles back into loyalty accounts are becoming free benefits, too.
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Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, "What the Future of Air Travel Looks Like," 14 Dec. 2020 Alaska Airlines only allows certain tickets to fly standby, including refundable main cabin tickets and first class tickets.
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Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, "Major U.S. Airlines Have Dropped Their Change Fees, but Not All Policies Are the Same — What to Know," 18 Sep. 2020 Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer said there is also an unusually high number of pilots working standby in recent months.
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Kyle Arnold, chicagotribune.com, "American Airlines chops 83,000 flights from its October schedule," 3 Sep. 2020 Currently, travelers must pay a $75 fee to fly standby.
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Susan Glaser, cleveland, "United Airlines permanently drops pricey change fee for most fliers," 31 Aug. 2020 According to the JetBlue website, customers with travel planned between September 5 and September 17 can rebook or travel standby without paying additional fees.
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Natasha Bach, Fortune, "Satellite Image Shows Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Katia in One Powerful Portrait," 7 Sep. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb For learning to stand by your man — and directing a fine action movie.
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Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Finding time to give thanks, even in 2020," 25 Nov. 2020 That’s wrong, unfair and given the circumstances of a global pandemic that is escalating out of control in this country, should not be allowed to stand by the league.
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Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Don't blame Florida State for being cautious in calling off Clemson game," 21 Nov. 2020 When his teammates chose to stand by their right fielder, much like Brooklyn’s Pee Wee Reese once stood by Jackie Robinson, a new legacy was formed, a new culture was created, and the new and glorious ending was being shaped.
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Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, "Column: The most important game of the Dodgers’ World Series title season was one they didn’t play," 1 Nov. 2020 Michigan was forced to cancel The Game, but there’s no one forcing the Big Ten to stand by and let the season of its most successful football program suffer unnecessarily.
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Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, "With Michigan game canceled, Big Ten will adjust (correctly) and get Ohio State into conference title game: Doug Lesmerises," 9 Dec. 2020 What’s more, Github made its stand by establishing a $1 million developer defense fund.
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Eriq Gardner, Billboard, "Stream-Ripping Is Next Frontier for Piracy Wars," 7 Dec. 2020 For example, Howard said drivers sometimes moved the sign designating the colored seating area toward the back of the bus, forcing riders who had paid their fares to stand by empty seats.
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Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Alabama businessman recalls church meeting that launched Montgomery bus boycott 65 years ago," 5 Dec. 2020 But how many will return and where USC’s roster might stand by Sunday remains up in the air.
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Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, "USC gets one player back for football practice and hopes for several more," 3 Dec. 2020 Then, give the pot a good shake, turn the heat to medium, and stand by.
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Beth Segal, cleveland, "POP UP! How to create that perfect tub of movie popcorn and six ways to make it even better," 5 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for standby
standby
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of standby
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person or thing that is available especially in emergencies
standby
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of standby (Entry 2 of 2)
: relating to or traveling by an airline service in which the passenger must wait for an available seat
See the full definition for standby in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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Comments on standby
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Time Traveler for standby
The first known use of standby was in the 13th century
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