noun

standee

stan-DEE

Standee (noun) means a large free-standing cardboard display, often a life-size cutout of a person or character, used to advertise a film or product in a cinema or shop. Example: “A standee of the villain went up in the foyer a month before release.”

noun

A large free-standing cardboard display, often a life-size cutout of a person or character, used to advertise a film or product in a cinema or shop.

"A standee of the villain went up in the foyer a month before release."

"The shop kept the standee long after the promotion ended."

A person who is standing rather than seated, especially a passenger on a crowded bus, train or aircraft.

"The carriage is rated for sixty seated passengers and ninety standees."

How to Use Standee

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA big cardboard cutout advert, or someone with no seat.

When to use it

The cardboard-display sense dominates in marketing, cinema and collecting. The passenger sense is technical transport vocabulary.

Memory tip

Collectors use standee almost exclusively for the promotional cutout, so context makes the sense clear.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

cutout poster → banner →

Common pairings

cinema standee cardboard standee life-size standee standing room and standees

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “standee” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

A _____ of the villain went up in the foyer a month before release.

Etymology

From stand plus the suffix -ee, on the pattern of words like employee and attendee.

Origin: English

Synonyms

View more →

cutout cardboard cutout display

Related Words

show showing screen display exhibition monitor reveal presentation

Rhymes for standee

ee see bee wee nee pee fee tee zee gee vee ree

See all rhymes for standee →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a standee and a poster?

A poster is flat and mounted on a wall. A standee is rigid and free-standing, usually with a folding foot or brace at the back so it can be placed on the floor of a foyer or aisle.

Are cinema standees valuable?

Some are. Large multi-piece cutouts for major releases are produced in small numbers and destroyed after the run, so surviving ones in good condition can be sought after by film-memorabilia collectors.

People Also Searched

show showing screen display exhibition monitor reveal presentation