stand pat

British  

verb

1. poker to refuse the right to change any of one's cards; keep one's hand unchanged

2. to resist change or remain unchanged

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stand pat Idioms  

1. 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]

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Other Word Forms

• standpatter
  noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stand pat

The other nine had anticipated that the central bank would stand pat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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

Nine out of 11 economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected the RBI to stand pat on Friday, with two forecasting a 25-basis-point hike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

“Nothing; all we can do is to stand pat and act as if we belonged here.”

From The Forester's Daughter A Romance of the Bear-Tooth Range by Garland, Hamlin