Synonyms

stand pat

British

verb

poker to refuse the right to change any of one's cards; keep one's hand unchanged
to resist change or remain unchanged

"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

stand pat Idioms

Refuse to change one's position or opinion, as in We're going to stand pat on this amendment to the bylaws. This expression may be derived from the verb pat in the sense of “strike firmly and accurately.” [Late 1800s]

Other Word Forms

standpatter

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

stand pat

Bets on a hike have risen over the past week, though analysts expect officials to stand pat on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

A decision to stand pat has been made easier by the bond market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Anything less than that, and the Fed is almost certain to stand pat.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

The Bank of England is also expected to stand pat.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

He would stand pat on a full house, and the buck, drawing three cards, would still beat him after sky-scraping betting.

From Taking Chances by Cullen, Clarence L.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023