stand-up

1 of 3

adjective

1
a
b
: stiffened to stay upright without folding over
a stand-up collar
2
: 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

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

transitive verb

: to fail to keep an appointment with
Phrases
stand up for
: to defend against attack or criticism
stand up to
1
: to meet fairly and fully
2
: to face boldly
stand up with
: to be best man or maid of honor for at a wedding ceremony

Examples of stand-up in a Sentence

Verb a hypothesis that won't stand up to close analysis
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Almost immediately, Twitter users and journalists began sharing a slew of his old homophobic tweets and stand-up bits. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Arnold was a huge presence in the L.A. comedy scene, with a career that included packed stand-up shows and appearances on Comedy Central and BET. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Comedian El Es Fede couldn’t figure out how to make his stand-up routines work on TikTok. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 The comedian and actor, who was in town for a stand-up show at Andrew J. Brady Music Center, enjoyed himself a post-show dinner at Jeff Ruby's Saturday night. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 Related Stories Over Zoom in mid-March, Brennan opened up about that mental health arc of his as well as the perplexing expectations surrounding the modern-day stand-up and why he’s gotten more comfortable in the spotlight. Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 An upright, or stand-up, walker can be safe for seniors, with some caution. Sarah Bradley, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2024 Mulaney’s capsule stand-up set was an instant hit and landed him at the top of our list as the candidate to host an award show next year. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 This is the no-nonsense fairy godmother behind the careers of your favorite stand-up comics. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
In this post-season glow, performing stand-up across the country, the two cast members were about to conjure two of their most popular characters on the show. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2023 Kemp’s infectious smile and, by all accounts, stand-up status as a teammate put him on the list. James Yasko, Chron, 24 Mar. 2023 John Mulaney is making a comeback to stand-up with his latest special, John Mulaney: Baby J. (His last special was released five years ago in 2018. Amanda Curran, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2023 Amazon Prime Video's comedy that follows the life of a stand-up comedian in the 1960s will end with its fifth season, which premieres on April 14. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 20 Mar. 2023 Sandler did his first stand-up at 17 at an open mic in Boston. Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Rodgers said that Hawk suggested McAfee as an emergency fill-in for a golf tournament team, and McAfee agreed to do it even while in the midst of a stand-up comedy tour. Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2023 President Zelensky, the most important person standing up for freedom, was a stand-up comic. Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2023 In addition, Laugh Out Loud Radio on SiriusXM will exclusively premiere Bernie Mac’s first-ever solo full-length stand-up album. Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Mar. 2023
Verb
Some women even had to stand up in order to remove their plants. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The kickstand may be difficult for younger kids to operate and may not stand up to being too roughly manipulated. Tanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 But the guy doesn’t show, so Lena gets chatting with shy computer expert Daniel (Postlethwaite), who is also on his own having been stood up by a prospective date. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 But now the city is ready to stand up its second micro-community. Joe Rubino, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024 City Councilmember Colin Parent stood up and walked out. Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 Manganiello then stands up and gives a taste of his character’s moves from the film. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The all-weather mat has to stand up to the extreme Southern clime, and this mat is durable enough to resist the weather, stains, and fading. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2024 Around Southwest 328th Street, Smith stood up and pulled a gun. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stand-up.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stand-up was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stand-up

Cite this Entry

“Stand-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-up. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!