stand·by
ˈstan(d)-ˌbī 
plural standbys
ˈstan(d)-ˌbīz
1
a
: one to be relied on especially in emergencies
b
: a favorite or reliable choice or resource
2
: one that is held in reserve ready for use : substitute
1
: held near at hand and ready for use
a standby power plant
standby equipment
2
: relating to the act or condition of standing by
standby duty
a standby period
3
: of, relating to, or traveling by an airline service in which the passenger must wait for an available unreserved seat
standby passengers
a standby ticket
: on a standby basis
fly standby
stood by; standing by; stands by
1
: to be present
also
: to remain apart or aloof
2
: to be or to get ready to act
an ambulance was standing by
: to remain loyal or faithful to : defend
stood by his decision
Synonyms
Examples of standby in a Sentence
Noun
More police officers were sent as standbys.
We bought an electric generator as a standby.
Verb
no matter how much people object, I will stand by my decision
Recent Examples on the Web
Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Moore said work is underway to cut up some of the large sections of the bridge, with a massive crane on standby to lift them out of the channel.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Kentucky's Emergency Operations Center has been activated and urban search and rescue crews from Jefferson County, northern Kentucky and the Ashland Fire Department are currently on standby.
—The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024
Southwest customers can rebook or travel standby within 2 weeks of their original travel date without additional charges, according to the alert.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
New designers, actors, jewelry, styles, shapes, hairstyles — even lip colors — are replacing old standbys.
—Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
Tired of serving the crowd traditional standbys like ham and eggs, chef Fred Schmidt developed the now famous sandwich.
—Robin Roenker, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
The troopers will assist multiple local law enforcement agencies, and a rapid-response team of 24 troopers will be on standby in the state’s most popular spring break destinations – Panama City, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami/Miami Beach.
—Carlos Suarez, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Photographers Sam Marquart and Britt Deyan were on standby to capture the intimate moment.
—Anneke Knot, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
Katherine Itoh, NBC News, 3 Feb. 2024
The pen even features a standby mode for additional safety.
—Erica Puisis, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
The Secret Service already has several standby security teams and the protective detail could be dispatched to protect the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador on the same day the authorization is approved, the person said.
—Meg Kinnard and Michael Balsamo The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024
In standby mode, the élégante will stay running for a staggering 18 years.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Another warming center would be on standby if more space is needed, Mahan said.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024
Finally, a two-second press-and-hold turns an individual earpiece on, while holding the button down for 10 seconds puts both earbuds in standby mode.
—PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024
To save battery, the keyboard reverts to standby mode after 10 minutes of activity and also turns off automatically when folded.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2024
Also, Renew Home, although set to become a major player in the virtual power market, doesn’t plan to add occasional generators, like hospitals and universities, which might have their standby generation available in times of heavy demand from heat or cold.
—Llewellyn King, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Susan Glaser, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2020
Silver status grants access to the Priority Reservations Waitlist (a waitlist to get a seat in a higher class) and gives travelers higher priority when flying standby.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
Earlier this year, American also eliminated ticketing fees such as charges to fly standby on a same-day domestic flight—which used to cost passengers $75—as well as nixing $150 mileage reinstatement fees for customers who cancel travel originally booked with frequent flier miles.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2020
These days, hardly anyone is aware of the scientific reasoning behind this playground standby.
—Luke D. Fannin, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
Flying by plane with the Army usually meant flying standby.
—Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2021
All customers with flights scheduled for Wednesday may rebook or fly standby within 14 days of their original travel dates without paying any extra fees.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
On Saturday, players and coaches went to the St. Louis airport at 5 a.m. to try to fly standby.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Once, while flying standby back from Europe, I was bumped off a flight 41 times in a row. Apologies.
—Chuck Wilcoxen, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2021
Melissa Girimonte, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
In New Hampshire, utility officials say hundreds of extra crews are standing by to restore power, as needed.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
In a statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stood by its 2023 assessment that Havana Syndrome symptoms are probably not the result of a foreign actor.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Period ambulances, police cars and dozens of extras were standing by to move into position in front of the fictional building’s facade, creating a scrum of onlookers and first responders.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2024
Cagle, then the director of DCFS, stood by his staff’s handling of the case in a 2021 interview with The Times.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Emergency services were standing by but weren't needed.
—CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
When Doja Cat released Scarlet in October 2023, the album functioned as an introduction to the new Doja: the one who put her fans to the ultimate loyalty test and shifted her focus towards the ones who stood by her side.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024
But longtime allies who had stood by him through his earlier travails concluded that this case was different and cut their ties to him.
—Tracey Tully, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded and was on standby as the plane returned to the gate on its own power.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Moore said work is underway to cut up some of the large sections of the bridge, with a massive crane on standby to lift them out of the channel.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Kentucky's Emergency Operations Center has been activated and urban search and rescue crews from Jefferson County, northern Kentucky and the Ashland Fire Department are currently on standby.
—The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024
Southwest customers can rebook or travel standby within 2 weeks of their original travel date without additional charges, according to the alert.
—Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
New designers, actors, jewelry, styles, shapes, hairstyles — even lip colors — are replacing old standbys.
—Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
Tired of serving the crowd traditional standbys like ham and eggs, chef Fred Schmidt developed the now famous sandwich.
—Robin Roenker, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
The troopers will assist multiple local law enforcement agencies, and a rapid-response team of 24 troopers will be on standby in the state’s most popular spring break destinations – Panama City, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami/Miami Beach.
—Carlos Suarez, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Photographers Sam Marquart and Britt Deyan were on standby to capture the intimate moment.
—Anneke Knot, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Police, fire and rescue personnel will be on standby, extra emergency and homeless shelters will open Saturday evening, street crews were preparing for rapid clearing of trees and branches, and water and power crews were ready to respond to outages, Bass said.
—Katherine Itoh, NBC News, 3 Feb. 2024
The pen even features a standby mode for additional safety.
—Erica Puisis, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024
The Secret Service already has several standby security teams and the protective detail could be dispatched to protect the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador on the same day the authorization is approved, the person said.
—Meg Kinnard and Michael Balsamo The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024
In standby mode, the élégante will stay running for a staggering 18 years.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Another warming center would be on standby if more space is needed, Mahan said.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024
Finally, a two-second press-and-hold turns an individual earpiece on, while holding the button down for 10 seconds puts both earbuds in standby mode.
—PCMAG, 26 Jan. 2024
To save battery, the keyboard reverts to standby mode after 10 minutes of activity and also turns off automatically when folded.
—Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2024
Also, Renew Home, although set to become a major player in the virtual power market, doesn’t plan to add occasional generators, like hospitals and universities, which might have their standby generation available in times of heavy demand from heat or cold.
—Llewellyn King, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
Adverb
The new policy was announced Sunday, along with another significant change – United travelers can now fly standby for free on flights departing the day of their travel.
—Susan Glaser, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2020
Silver status grants access to the Priority Reservations Waitlist (a waitlist to get a seat in a higher class) and gives travelers higher priority when flying standby.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
Earlier this year, American also eliminated ticketing fees such as charges to fly standby on a same-day domestic flight—which used to cost passengers $75—as well as nixing $150 mileage reinstatement fees for customers who cancel travel originally booked with frequent flier miles.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2020
These days, hardly anyone is aware of the scientific reasoning behind this playground standby.
—Luke D. Fannin, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
Flying by plane with the Army usually meant flying standby.
—Brianna Kwasnik, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2021
All customers with flights scheduled for Wednesday may rebook or fly standby within 14 days of their original travel dates without paying any extra fees.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
On Saturday, players and coaches went to the St. Louis airport at 5 a.m. to try to fly standby.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Once, while flying standby back from Europe, I was bumped off a flight 41 times in a row. Apologies.
—Chuck Wilcoxen, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2021
Verb
The designer has stood by Buckingham through his highs and lows, including his firing from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 and emergency heart surgery in 2019.
—Melissa Girimonte, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
In New Hampshire, utility officials say hundreds of extra crews are standing by to restore power, as needed.
—Tovia Smith, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
In a statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stood by its 2023 assessment that Havana Syndrome symptoms are probably not the result of a foreign actor.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Period ambulances, police cars and dozens of extras were standing by to move into position in front of the fictional building’s facade, creating a scrum of onlookers and first responders.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2024
Cagle, then the director of DCFS, stood by his staff’s handling of the case in a 2021 interview with The Times.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Emergency services were standing by but weren't needed.
—CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
When Doja Cat released Scarlet in October 2023, the album functioned as an introduction to the new Doja: the one who put her fans to the ultimate loyalty test and shifted her focus towards the ones who stood by her side.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024
But longtime allies who had stood by him through his earlier travails concluded that this case was different and cut their ties to him.
—Tracey Tully, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standby.' 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
1712, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adjective
1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
1971, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of standby was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing standby
Dictionary Entries Near standby
Cite this Entry
“Standby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standby. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
standby
1 of 4 noun
stand·by
ˈstan(d)-ˌbī
plural standbys
-ˌbīz
: one available or to be relied on especially in emergencies
standby
2 of 4 adjective1
: held near at hand and ready for use
standby equipment
2
: relating to the act of standing by
a standby period
3
: of or relating to a mode of transportation (as airline service) in which the passengers must wait for an available unreserved spot
a standby ticket
standby
3 of 4 adverb
: as a standby passenger
flying standby
stand by
4 of 4 verb(ˈ)stan(d)-ˈbī
1
: to be present
stood by, watching the game
2
: to be or to get ready to act
ambulances are standing by
3
: to remain loyal or faithful
stood by us to the end
stood by his decision
More from Merriam-Webster on standby
Nglish: Translation of standby for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of standby for Arabic Speakers
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