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If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for stand pat to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns standpatter ("one who resists or opposes change") and standpattism ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts.
Examples of standpat in a Sentence
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
When Durant nixed that, the Suns were forced to stand pat.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The central bank is widely expected to stand pat on interest rates at 4.1% as the country heads to the polls on May 3.
—Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2025
But that progress stalled out around the turn of the year, which weakened the case for further rate cuts and ultimately prompted the Fed to stand pat in January.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standpat
Cite this Entry
“Standpat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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stand pat
verb
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