stand for
Britishverb
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to represent or mean
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to be or become a candidate for
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to support or recommend
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informal to tolerate or bear
he won't stand for any disobedience
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Represent, symbolize, as in The stars and stripes stands for our country . [Early 1600s]
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Advocate, support, uphold, as in The National Writers Union stands for freedom of the press . [c. 1300] Also see stand up for .
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Put up with, tolerate. This usage is generally in a negative context, as in Mother will not stand for rude behavior . [Late 1800s] Also see hold still for .
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stand for something . Have some value or importance, as in She realized that appearances do stand for something . This usage dates from the mid-1800s but was preceded by stand for nothing , meaning “be worthless,” dating from the late 1300s. Also see stand in for .
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.
Infantino, 56, will stand for election for a fourth time in March, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Sara Duterte is a frontrunner to replace Marcos in the 2028 elections, where the incumbent is ineligible under the constitution to stand for a second term.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Don’t try to smooth your voice out. They may hate what you stand for and what you’re saying, but you want them to know it’s you on TV.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
"I stand for Israel, the land of God," he said at the time, according to local media.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Syntax solves this problem by having adjacent strings of words stand for related sets of concepts, and by inserting one string inside another to stand for concepts that are parts of bigger concepts.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
