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.
“You have to be strong, you have to be patient and you have to stand for something.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
It would be a stand for decency and normalcy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
And they stand for reelection at most once.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Asked by CNN whether he would condemn the group and what they stand for, and whether he would urge President Donald Trump to do the same, Burgum couched his language carefully.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
It was a fairly rough voice, the kind of in-your-face tone that said I wouldn’t stand for too much nonsense either on the basketball courts or in the streets.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
