stand-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈstand-ˌin 

1

: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied

2

: substitute

stand in

2 of 2

verb

stood in; standing in; stands in

intransitive verb

: to act as a stand-in

Phrases

stand in with

: to be in a specially favored position with

Synonyms

Noun

• substitute
• replacement

Verb

• substitute
• fill in
• step in
• take over

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

Noun

If granted, a DPE allows teams – in this case, the Pacers – to effectively bring in a player as a stand-in for their out-of-commission player. —Tony East, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Normalizing the outcast is a staple of teen stories, helping angsty adolescents recognize and accept their own strange behavior by spotting it in their cool onscreen stand-in. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025

Verb

He was berated by the president and Vice President JD Vance for insufficient gratitude toward the United States for its help and for standing in the way of a peace agreement with Russia. —Susan Page, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025

The Starship vehicle SpaceX assigned to the next flight, designated Ship 36, exploded on a test stand in Texas as teams filled it with cryogenic propellants for an engine test-firing. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1904, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stand-in

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin
• pinyin

Kids Definition

stand-in

1 of 2 noun

ˈstan-ˌdin

1

: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied

2

: substitute entry 1

stand in

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)stan-ˈdin

: to act as a stand-in