stand-up
adjective
standing erect or upright, as a collar.
stand-up
American
[stand-uhp]
/ ˈstændˌʌp /
Or
standup
adjective
-
standing erect or upright, as a collar.
-
performed, taken, etc., while one stands.
a stand-up meal.
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designed for or requiring a standing position.
a stand-up lunch counter.
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(of a fight) characterized by the rapid exchange of many blows with little attention given to defensive maneuvering.
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(of a person) characterized by an erect or bold stance.
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Baseball. (of a double or triple) pertaining to a hit that allows the hitter to reach the base safely without having to slide.
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relating to or noting a performance by a comedian delivering a monologue while alone on the stage.
stand-up comedy;
the best stand-up comics.
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Slang. loyal and dependable.
He seems to be a real stand-up guy.
noun
stand-ups
plural
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comedy in which a comedian delivers a monologue while alone on the stage.
We bought tickets to see some stand-up at a club downtown.
-
a comedian who delivers such monologues.
I've been a stand-up for about five years.
stand up
British
verb
-
(intr) to rise to the feet
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(intr) to resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc
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informal (tr) to fail to keep an appointment with, esp intentionally
-
-
to support, side with, or defend
-
to serve as best man for (the groom) at a wedding
-
-
-
to confront or resist courageously
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to withstand or endure (wear, criticism, etc)
-
adjective
-
having or being in an erect position
a stand-up collar
-
done, performed, taken, etc, while standing
a stand-up meal
-
(of comedy or a comedian) performed or performing solo
-
informal (of a boxer) having an aggressive style without much leg movement
a stand-up fighter
noun
-
a stand-up comedian
-
stand-up comedy
stand up
Idioms
-
Remain valid, sound, or durable, as in His claim will not stand up in court , or Our old car stood up well over time . [Mid-1900s]
-
Fail to keep a date or appointment with, as in Al stood her up twice in the past week, and that will be the end of their relationship . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900] Also see stand up for ; stand up to ; stand up with .
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stand-up
First recorded in 1580–90; adjective and noun use of verb phrase stand up
Vocabulary lists containing stand-up
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:
“Everybody thinks they’re so funny and they can do stand-up ‘cause it looks so easy,” said Rodriguez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
"Hacks," the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her, leads the way with 24 nominations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Turkey's religious affairs directorate mentioned the stand-up show, without naming Göktaş, in its weekly sermon on Friday which is read out in all the country's mosques.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Since his supposed cancellation, he’s self-produced several stand-up specials, including 2020’s “Sincerely Louis C.K.,” which won a Grammy for best comedy album.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
He had actually done stand-up comedy in clubs, Officer Speros told us, and for the first day we were less his class than his audience.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Some are caused by “orthostatic hypotension”—a drop in blood pressure that can happen when you stand up quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Above all, it aims to stand up to the Chinese, who are gearing up in this technology.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Or any of the players going to stand up for anything?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Then, you can stand up and sing about the ‘land of the free’.”
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
He could hear Daniel stand up reluctantly behind him, and Boaz was halfway to the door when Edelman suddenly burst out laughing.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Dreesen helped organize his fellow stand-ups and led the landmark six-week strike that ended with Shore agreeing to pay $25 per set to performers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Our customers aren’t actually all in the office anymore, and so they don’t necessarily want us in the office with them, but we do daily stand-ups with them.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
But these days stand-ups release a lot more product than they used to and in more places, from satellite radio to TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Arenas, like the ones Kay performs in, bring in more people but they can also bring problems for stand-ups, he says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2025
Like most comics, she spent her career developing material by gauging the response of the crowd but must confront a problem familiar to superstar stand-ups.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
