grandstand

[gran-stand, grand-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grandstand ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the main seating area of a stadium, racetrack, parade route, or the like, usually consisting of tiers with rows of individual seats.

the people sitting in these seats.

verb (used without object), grand·stand·ed, grand·stand·ing.

to conduct oneself or perform showily or ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers: The senator doesn't hesitate to grandstand if it makes her point.

adjective

situated in a grandstand: grandstand seats.

having a vantage point resembling that of a grandstand: From our office windows on the third floor, we had a grandstand view of the parade.

intended to impress an onlooker or onlookers: a grandstand catch.

Origin of grandstand

First recorded in 1835–45; grand + stand

Related formsgrand·stand·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for grandstanding

prance, strut, swagger, parade, showboat

Examples from the Web for grandstanding

Contemporary Examples of grandstanding

It is grandstanding for a right rarely protected unless under immediate attack.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead
Luke O’Neil
January 8, 2015
On Borgen, grandstanding and deceit still plague the political process.
‘Borgen’: The Television Show That Could Solve the Government Shutdown
Andrew Romano
October 6, 2013
Indeed, investors have learned to ignore the lunacy and approach D.C. grandstanding with a certain amount of cynicism.
Shutdown? What Shutdown? It’s Time to Buy U.S. Government Bonds!
Daniel Gross
September 23, 2013
Nixon, however, demurred; he said that it would be “grandstanding” to speak out, according to his aide William Safire.
When Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Nixon Were Friends
Jeffrey Frank
January 21, 2013
Grandstanding is best postponed until several days after the danger has passed.
Which Politician Best Navigated Hurricane Sandy’s Surge?
Michelle Cottle
October 31, 2012

Historical Examples of grandstanding

The sort of grandstanding the Karna were putting on had to be played to an audience.
In Case of Fire
Gordon Randall Garrett
At any time he was ready with a sneer for what he called the cowpuncher's "grandstanding."
Steve Yeager
William MacLeod Raine
You fellows better cut out the grandstanding and have a look west.
A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.
Rutherford G. Montgomery
If he's just doing a lot of grandstanding or if he's playing someone's political game, that's another thing.
Spring Street
James H. Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for grandstanding

grandstand

noun

a terraced block of seats, usually under a roof, commanding the best view at racecourses, football pitches, etc
(as modifier)grandstand tickets

the spectators in a grandstand

(modifier) as if from a grandstand; unimpeded (esp in the phrase grandstand view)

verb

(intr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to behave ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers

Derived Formsgrandstander, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for grandstanding

grandstand

"main seating for spectators at an outdoor event," 1834, from grand (adj.)+ stand. The verb meaning "to show off" is student slang from 1895, from grandstand player, attested in baseball slang from 1888.

It's little things of this sort which makes the 'grand stand player.' They make impossible catches, and when they get the ball they roll all over the field. [M.J. Kelly, "Play Ball," 1888]

Cf. British gallery hit (1882) "showy play by a batsman in cricket, 'intended to gain applause from uncritical spectators'" [OED]. Related: grandstanding.