1
: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied
2
Examples of stand-in in a Sentence
Noun
hired him at the last minute as a stand-in for the person who quit
Verb
she will be standing in for the regular teacher for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Even mocktails are evolving beyond sugary stand-ins.
—Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
The gentleman got out and stood in line, using a cane, while his wife waited in the car.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stand-in
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The one-time toothpaste mascot only begins to find his way when an unexpected acting call leads him to start working for a rental family service, which hires him out to play stand-in roles in strangers’ lives.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Even mocktails are evolving beyond sugary stand-ins.
—Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
The skeletal trees, stripped of their summer green and fiery autumn leaves, stand in a white shroud of snow like stoic models of resilience and grace.
—Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
The gentleman got out and stood in line, using a cane, while his wife waited in the car.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stand-in
Cite this Entry
“Stand-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-in. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share