stand-in

1 of 2

noun

1
: someone employed to occupy an actor's place while lights and camera are readied
2

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

Examples of stand-in in a Sentence

Verb she will be standing in for the regular teacher for a week
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump easily won their respective presidential preference elections in Arizona on Tuesday, with each man handily outdistancing former rivals or stand-ins for an intra-party protest vote. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 The best holiday dips start with a tub of sour cream Ricotta and Potato Chip Fish Cakes With Peas Here, the chips are a stand-in for the breadcrumbs called for in most salmon patty recipes. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 This issue could become a stand-in for her grief over losing in-person contact with her child. Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Because the Pinochet of the film has been around for hundreds of years, the true details about the dictator are not the focus; instead, the character becomes a stand-in for the concept of greed. Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 Even the stage walks are carefully choreographed, with stand-ins striding and standing like the real A-listers during first rehearsals. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 The film follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as the token American guy for a Japanese rental family company providing professional stand-in services. Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Also starting with Bellingham will be goalkeeper Andriy Lunin supported by a back line of Ferland Mendy, stand-in center back Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Michael Archibald, a college student who was hired to perform as a stand-in for Willy Wonka, said he was given a role Thursday after signing up for the job on the career site Indeed. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
Indeed, standing in the range of totality as the moon blocks the sun, and day turns to night, is the ideal way to experience the event — there’s nothing quite like it. Daniel Johnson, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Fielding these annual questions is like standing in front of a confetti bomb. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Three flickering neon signs on metal stands in the latest edition of the Whitney Biennial, poised at the west end of the museum’s fifth floor, crystallize this question. Martha Schwendener, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Today, the company is the last large bookstore chain standing in the U.S., years after Borders and Waldenbooks folded. Byphil Wahba, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 Once inside, do not stand in the front if others are boarding. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 The head boy witnessed these nightly beatings while standing in the shadows behind the headmaster, his job to record on the school list who had been beaten, for what, on which day, and how many times. Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 The current administration is an administration that is standing in the way of business and business growing and business trying to grow jobs. CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 Here’s an overview of where the candidates stand in seven of the 16 states where recent polling has been done. Alabama Trump — the far and away favorite to win the GOP nomination — is leagues ahead of Nikki Haley, his sole major rival, in the Yellowhammer State, according to recent polling. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024

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

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stand-in was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near stand-in

Cite this Entry

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

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

stand in

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)stan-ˈdin
: to act as a stand-in
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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