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If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for stand pat to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns standpatter ("one who resists or opposes change") and standpattism ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts.
Synonyms
Examples of standpat in a Sentence
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Last year’s starter, Donovan Smith, is a free agent, and the Chiefs seem unlikely to stand pat given their current situation.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024
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“Standpat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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stand pat
verb
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