standalone

American  

[stand-uh-lohn] / ˈstænd əˌloʊn /

Or stand-alone

adjective

1. complete unto itself; not being or understood as part of a set, system, or series; self-contained: The studio doubted that this story would find an audience as a stand-alone film.

   Our aerospace degree plan is a standalone program, and not a division of the mechanical engineering department.

   The studio doubted that this story would find an audience as a stand-alone film.

2. Computers. able to operate without other hardware or software.

   There are several standalone apps you can use to add live captioning to your videos.

---

noun

1. a single work that may be understood and appreciated without knowledge of other episodes, books, issues, etc..

   The author has taken a break from the series to put out two standalones just in time for the holidays.

2. Computers. a device or program that does not need other hardware or software to fully function.

   A decent VR rig for your PC won’t be any cheaper than a standalone.

Etymology

Origin of standalone

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

standalone

The mayor opposed a standalone department at the time because it “would add to the bureaucracy,” and the bureau was a compromise, Sterling said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Haiken, who declined to comment, previously told the Journal he had invested millions of dollars to build a standalone Polestar showroom in New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

But the new owners say they see "real opportunities" for growth, including opening new standalone shops.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Since 2012, Argos has gone from having 845 standalone shops to around 200 - although it also has opened about 450 shop-within-shops in Sainsbury's stores.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

IOI’s intranet was a high-security, standalone network with no direct connections to the OASIS.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline