as in anchors
something or someone to which one looks for support
our old standby in times of trouble
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of standbys
From cozy cashmere knitwear to fine-gauge standbys from Vince and Iro, there are tons of goodies.
—
Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
The oversized blazer Boxy suit jackets have become fashion-industry standbys.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Glamour, 12 Sep. 2025
Where The Nun suffered from a complete and utter lack of tension, director Michael Chaves uses some classic horror standbys to build suspense.
—Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Almost always, leadership was divided, with some wanting to move away from old standbys while others argued not to rock the boat.
—Lynn Godfrey, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
The oversized blazer Boxy suit jackets have become fashion-industry standbys.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Glamour, 12 Sep. 2025
Where The Nun suffered from a complete and utter lack of tension, director Michael Chaves uses some classic horror standbys to build suspense.
—Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Almost always, leadership was divided, with some wanting to move away from old standbys while others argued not to rock the boat.
—Lynn Godfrey, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standbys
Noun
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Past colleagues who have stepped in include Saturday Today co-anchors Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett, as well as Sunday Today host Willie Geist.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Much of the filming in Rhode Island was of iconic sights as establishing shots to anchors the story in Rhode Island.—
Paul Edward Parker,
The Providence Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At the pancake breakfasts, Opus Dei priests mixed with other priests, and Prevost got to know the prominent locals who were mainstays of the movement.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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Other mainstays of the week, including Disney, YouTube, Netflix and TelevisaUnivision, have not confirmed their plans.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Discovered in 1981, the tiny backbones — just a few millimeters long — had not received much attention historically.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Nov. 2025
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Driving trucks is one of the unappreciated backbones of modern civilization.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Contemporary accounts speak to the cruelty and exploitation that were pillars of economies of the time.—
Valerie L. Myers,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
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The geologic monocline extends almost 100 miles and is surrounded by white sandstone domes, towering monoliths, and otherworldly pillars and arches.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standbys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standbys. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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