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Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,[…], and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.
1961 February, R. K. Evans, “The role of research on British Railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 93:
At one time a "standard test" for carriage riding was to stand a pencil on end on the compartment floor, or to measure how long it was possible to stand on one leg without touching the corridor walls; […]
The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking.
Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.
They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect.
1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm, London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom […]
1961 February, R. K. Evans, “The role of research on British Railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 93:
At one time a "standard test" for carriage riding was to stand a pencil on end on the compartment floor, or to measure how long it was possible to stand on one leg without touching the corridor walls; [...].
1651, Francis Bacon, “Sir Jervas his Confession”, in A True and Historical Relation of the Poysoning of Sir Thomas Overbury, London: John Benson & John Playford, page 71:
now my heart beginneth to melt within me being wounded (with that the tears stood in his eyes) to see the faces of some here present, whom J most earnestly love, and now must depart from with shame […]
pull’d me up again, and then giving me tvvo or three Kiſſes again, thank’d me for my kind yielding to him; and vvas ſo overcome with the Satisfaction and Joy of it, that I savv Tears ſtand in his Eyes.
He takes me half-price to the play, to an extent which I sometimes fear is beyond his means; and I see the tears a standing in his eyes during the whole performance […]
f you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery.
(intransitive,copulative) To maintain one's ground; to be acquitted; not to fail or yield; to be safe.
eaders by whose judgment I would stand or fall […]
The spelling has been modernized.
(intransitive,copulative) To maintain an invincible or permanent attitude; to be fixed, steady, or firm; to take a position in resistance or opposition.
The king granted the Jews[…]to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life.
1660 August 8 (Gregorian calendar), Robert South, “(please specify the sermon number)”, in Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions., new edition, volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Thomas Tegg,, published 1843, →OCLC:
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis., London: Jacob Tonson,, →OCLC:
Accomplish what your signs foreshow; / I stand resigned, and am prepared to go.
"Kim, Jack, and I will stand you guys," Jimmie Burdette said. / "We'll smear you!" laughed Ron.
c.1973, R. J. Childerhose, Hockey Fever in Goganne Falls, page 95:
The game stopped while sides were sorted out. Andy did the sorting. "Okay," he said. "Jimmy is coming out. He and Gaston and Ike and me will stand you guys."
1978, Louis Sachar, chapter 21, in Sideways Stories from Wayside School, page 86:
"Hey, Louis," Dameon shouted. "Do you want to play kickball?" ¶ ""All right," said Louis. "Ron and I will both play." […] "Ron and I will stand everybody!" Louis announced.
I will either stand a glass of grog, or thou shalt pay the like for me, my lad
(intransitive) To have or maintain a position, order, or rank; to be in a particular relation.
Christian charity, or love, stands first in the rank of gifts.
2022 September 13, Connor Simpson, “Obama is neutral on Egypt right now”, in The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-08-04:
President Obama gave his first extended television interview since the protests in Libya and Egypt to Telemundo on Wednesday night, and he took the opportunity to explain the U.S.'s role in the developing world while clarifying where the country stands with Egypt right now.
(intransitive) To be consistent; to agree; to accord.
The ruin'd wall / Stands when its wind-worn battlements are gone.
(card games) To stop asking for more cards; to keep one's hand as it has been dealt so far.
Usage notes
In older works, standen is found as a past participle of this verb; it is now archaic. The forms stooden and stand may also be found in dialectal speech; these are nonstandard.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
1991 December 1, Rebecca Levine, Judy Greenspan, “A Great Need”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 20, page 9:
There are also a growing number of lesbians in prison who are out about being lesbian and that stand in and of itself is much stronger than being out on the outside. These women are in much greater danger.
They took a firm stand against copyright infringement.
A period of performance in a given location or venue.
They have a four-game stand at home against the Yankees. They spent the summer touring giving 4 one-night stands a week.
There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.
2009, B.O.B Wild, The Dogs of War, page 69:
Whilst I nipped out to get the booze Eddie would ease the large bread stand at the far end of the shop out from the counter so as to leave a gap behind, big enouh to take the basket. I would streak into the shop like a whippet and be behind the bread stand before you could blink.
She took the stand and quietly answered questions.
2023 October 11, Victoria Bekiempis, “Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend to take stand again after day of dramatic testimony”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Shortly after Ellison started at Alameda around fall 2018 as a trader, she learned that the company was financially far sicker than she had known, she said on the stand.
1923, Julius E. Day, The Stockbroker's Office: Organisation, Management and Accounts, page 99:
When a member has failed to comply with his bargains the fact is announced from one of the stands, […]
1934, Frances Cosgrove, Scenes for Student Actors: Dramatic Selections from New Plays, page 8:
Just as that clock is striking now, the two waiters appear on the stands and take off their hats, as if to a corpse.
A particular grove or other group of trees or shrubs.
This stand of pines is older than the one next to it.
2000, James Beament, The Violin Explained: Components, Mechanism, and Sound, page 159:
Pernambuco is a coastal wood which grows in maintained stands in Brazil.
(forestry) A contiguous group of trees sufficiently uniform in age-class distribution, composition, and structure, and growing on a site of sufficiently uniform quality, to be a distinguishable unit.
A standstill, a motionless state, as of someone confused, or a hunting dog who has found game.
One of the later school of the Grecians, examineth the matter, and is at a stand, to think what should be in it, that men should love lies; where neither they make for pleasure, as with poets, nor for advantage, as with the merchant; but for the lie’s sake.
The end of the opening period was relatively quite as Vassiljev's desperate shot from well outside the penalty area flew into the stand housing the Irish supporters and then Ward's ctoss was gathered by goalkeeper Pareiko.
1927, Herbert Asbury, The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, Paragon House, published 1990, →ISBN, page 170:
The police and troops captured eleven thousand stand of arms, including muskets and pistols, together with several thousand bludgeons and other weapons.
1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: P Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:
Father, since your fortune did attain / So high a stand, I mean not to descend.
A young tree, usually reserved when other trees are cut; also, a tree growing or standing upon its own root, in distinction from one produced from a scion set in a stock, either of the same or another kind of tree.
A location or position where one may stand.
c.1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
Come, I have found you out a stand most fit, / Where you may have such vantage on the duke, / He shall not pass you.
The cost of the printing alone will average $2 a 'stand.' The sheets are about 28x42 inches and are in four colors, which means they must go through the process four times.
1951 February 24, Billboard, page 52:
Crew of 14 billers and a four-man brigade will be 10 days ahead and will use all special paper including new jungle and animal designs being prepared by Enquirer Printing Company. New this season will be a 20-sheet poster depicting 21 K-M elephants parading to local Chevrolet agencies. Deal calls for use of the 20-sheet on poster panels where the auto agency has space allotment. Smaller versions of the same art also will be used. Circulation of Kelly-Miller heralds, which last season averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 copies per stand, will be in for one of the greatest boosts this year.
1559, The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth. Among Which are Interspersed, Other Solemnities, Public Expenditures, and Remarkable Events, During the Reign of that Illustrious Princess., volume I, the Editor [John Nichols],, published 1788, page 45:
Item, for a ſtande of small ale - ii s.
1582, Rural Economy in Yorkshire in 1641, Being the Farming and Account Books of Henry Best, of Elmswell, in the East Riding of the County of York (The Publications of the Surtees Society; volume XXXIII), Durham: for the Society by George Andrews,. London: Whittaker & Co.,; T. & W. Boone,. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1857, page 172:
[…]one gialfatte, 3 stannes 3s.,[…]
1588, Martin Mar-prelate, An Epistle to the Terrible Priests of the Convocation House, London: John Petheram, published 1842, page 54:
Therefore at length sir Iefferie bethought him of a feat whereby he might both visit the alestond, and also keepe his othe.
1594, John Lyly, “Mother Bombie”, in The Complete Works of John Lyly, published 1902, page 193:
Memp. Ile teach my wag-halter to know grapes from barley. Pris. And I mine to discerne a spigot from a faucet. Spe. And I mine, to iudge the difference between a blacke boule and a siluer goblet. Stel. And mine shall learne the oddes betweene a stand and a hogs-head; yet I cannot choose but laugh to see how my wag aunswered mee, when I stroke him for drinking sacke.
As for the Tapſter, he fled into the Cellar, rapping out fiue or ſixe plaine Country oathes, that hée would drowne himſelfe in a moſt villanous Stand of Ale, if the ſicke Londoner ſtoode at the doore any longer.
1672, Thomas Shadwell, “Epsom-Wells”, in The Works of Thomas Shadwell, volume the second, London: James Knapton,; and Jacob Tonson,, published 1720, page 196:
I have the rareſt Stand of Ale to drink out in the Afternoon, with three or four honeſt Country-fellows;
1674, A Letter from a Gentleman of the Romish Religion to His Brother, a Person of Quality of the Same Religion; Perswading Him to Go to Church, and Take Those Oaths the Law Directs, Proving the Lawfulness Thereof by Arguments Not Disagreeable to Doctrines of the Roman Church, London: John Starkey, page 28:
[…]that he may have leave to meet ſome few Neighbours to duſt a ſtand of Ale[…]
1775, James Adair, The History of The American Indians; Particularly Those Nations Adjoining to the Missisippi, East and West Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Virginia:, London: Edward and Charles Dilly, page 395:
All his war ſtore of proviſions conſiſted in three ſtands of barbicued veniſon, till he had an opportunity to revenge blood, and return home.
stand, booth, stall, kiosk(a small enclosed structure, often freestanding, open on one side or with a window, used as a booth to sell newspapers, cigarettes, etc., on the street or in a market)
stand in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN