stand

The word “stand” means to be upright on one's feet, or to rise into that position. In plain terms, to be upright on your feet, to stay in one place, to put up with something, or a small stall/support for holding things.

“Stand” is pronounced STAND (/ˈstænd/ in IPA).

Here is “stand” used in a sentence: “The old church still stands at the edge of the village.”

Depending on how it is used, “stand” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “stand” comes from Latin. From Old English standan, "to stand, occupy a place," from a very old Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to stand" that also gave Latin stare and many related words across European languages.

“Stand” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Stand” has 6 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to be upright on one's feet, or to rise into that position.

Stand can mean either to be upright already or to rise, while stand up almost always stresses the action of getting to your feet from sitting or lying. "She stood by the window" describes a position; "please stand up" is a request to rise. The phrasal version highlights the movement itself.

In the posture sense, the main opposites are sit, lie down, kneel, or crouch, all lower positions. If stand means to rise, its opposite is to sit down or lie down. Figuratively, stand can also mean to endure, whose opposite would be to give way or collapse.

Beyond being upright, stand has many senses: to tolerate something ("I can't stand the noise"), to remain valid ("the offer still stands"), to be a candidate ("stand for election"), and, as a noun, a structure or a firm position. Most senses connect to the idea of holding steady.

Literally: "The children stood in a line," or "He stood up to greet her." Figuratively: "I can't stand waiting," "The record still stands," and "She is standing for the local council." Each example builds on the core sense of being upright or holding firm.