on standby

Idioms  

1. Ready and waiting, as in We've got three more painters on standby. This expression originated in the navy in the 1940s, where it referred to someone being ready to come on duty as soon as required. From about 1960 it began to be widely used in aviation for a passenger waiting to take the first available seat on a full flight.

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Example Sentences

In Europe, Italy has put its coal plants on standby as it girds for a prolonged energy shock.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

The force added it was taking the rare step of putting its armoured vehicles on standby.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Medically-equipped aircraft will be on standby, too, should anyone need to be taken into isolation.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Vice President JD Vance will be on standby to travel in case there is progress in the negotiations, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Each crew spent twenty-four hours on standby, making periodic checks, clearing the debris, doing whatever was necessary to keep the water moving into camp.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston