standing

[stan-ding]

noun

1. rank or status, especially with respect to social, economic, or personal position, reputation, etc..

   He had little standing in the community.

2. good position, reputation, or credit.

   He is a merchant of standing in the community.

3. length of existence, continuance, residence, membership, experience, etc..

   a friend of long standing.

4. Sports.,  standings, a list of teams or contestants arranged according to their past records.

   According to the standings, the White Sox are leading the division by three games.

5. the act of a person or thing that stands.

6. a place where a person or thing stands.

7. Law.,  the right to initiate or participate in a legal action.

   having standing as a friend of the court.

adjective

1. having an erect or upright position.

   a standing lamp.

2. performed in or from an erect position.

   a standing jump.

3. still; not flowing or stagnant, as water; stationary.

4. continuing without cessation or change; lasting or permanent.

5. continuing in operation, force, use, etc..

   a standing rule.

6. customary or habitual; generally understood.

   We have a standing bridge game every Friday night.

7. Printing.,  kept for use in subsequent printings.

   standing type.

8. out of use; idle.

   a standing engine.

9. Nautical.,  noting any of various objects or assemblages of objects fixed in place or position, unless moved for adjustment or repairs.

   standing bowsprit.

10. Knots.,  noting the part of a rope that is in use and terminates in a knot or the like.

standing

/ ˈstændɪŋ /

noun

1. social or financial position, status, or reputation

   a man of some standing

2. length of existence, experience, etc

3. (modifier) used to stand in or on

   standing room

adjective

1. athletics

   1. (of the start of a race) begun from a standing position without the use of starting blocks

   2. (of a jump, leap, etc) performed from a stationary position without a run-up

2. (prenominal) permanent, fixed, or lasting

3. (prenominal) still or stagnant

   a standing pond

4. printing (of type) set and stored for future use Compare dead

Other Word Forms

• unstanding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of standing¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; stand, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See credit.

Example Sentences

At first, Charlie Hey, 12, didn’t think much of it when his Boy Scout troop passed an elderly man standing at the edge of a trail deep in the Emigrant Wilderness.

From Los Angeles Times

The party in Cardiff Bay strongly rejects that idea, to the extent that party activists say pro-abolition members are effectively banned from standing for the Senedd.

From BBC

Fallon said: "It was only a few years ago I came here for the first time as a student, so to be standing here with my painting on the walls, it's a very prominent moment."

From BBC

"In today's market, standing still is falling behind. You have to continuously evolve if you want to stay relevant to your customers."

From BBC

A standing joke between us is Gail saying, “And there’s another problem.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• place 
• prestige 
• reputation 
• stature 
• status