standpat

[ stand-pat ]

/ ˈstændˌpæt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: standpat / standpats on Thesaurus.com

noun

standpatter.

adjective

characterized by refusing to consider or accept change.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of standpat

First recorded in 1900–05; noun, adj. use of verb phrase stand pat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use standpat in a sentence

To be a liberal, you have to stand up for liberal principles.
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And with stand-ups, I remember liking George Carlin and Steve Martin.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Those opposing same-sex marriage are on their heels, and increasingly unwilling or unable to make a stand against it.
‘Only God’ Can Stop Gay Marriage|Tim Mak|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Meet Stephen Fry’s Future Husband (Who Is Less Than Half His Age)|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Another read: “We need leaders who will stand against Common Core.”
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She stood, in her young purity, at one end of the chain of years, and Mrs. Chepstow—did she really stand at the other?
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
But the liberal soul deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
All bribery, and injustice shall be blotted out, and fidelity shall stand for ever.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
It is only necessary to have a zinc, or a galvanized tray on which to stand the glass in an inverted position.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Gold and silver make the feet stand sure: but wise counsel is above them both.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for standpat

stand pat

verb (intr)

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

to resist change or remain unchanged

Derived forms of stand pat

standpatter, noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with standpat