stand on
Britishverb
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(adverb) to continue to navigate a vessel on the same heading
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(preposition) to insist on
to stand on ceremony
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informal to be independent or self-reliant
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Be based on, depend on, as in Our success will stand on their support . [c. 1600]
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Insist on observance of, as in Let's not stand on ceremony . This usage today is nearly always put in a negative context. [Mid-1500s]
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.
I called A&W Restaurants’ headquarters in Lexington, Ky. I reached the chairman, Kevin Bazner, 71, and started blathering on about Camp Golden Eagle and the stand on Highway 51.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri took the stand on Tuesday as the trial entered its second week.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The witness, who said he had little love for Davis, remained hesitant when he took the stand on Tuesday to recount what happened.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
They’re especially helpful for postural control — you have to maintain good posture to stand on one leg — whereas dynamic exercises mean you’re maintaining control while moving through space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
I stand on a picnic table and scan the park, hoping to see Ziggy huddled somewhere.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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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.