stand-in
noun
a substitute for a motion-picture star during the preparation of lighting, cameras, etc., or in dangerous scenes.
stand-in
American
[stand-in]
/ ˈstændˌɪn /
noun
-
a substitute for a motion-picture star during the preparation of lighting, cameras, etc., or in dangerous scenes.
-
any substitute.
stand in
British
verb
-
to act as a substitute
-
to be of benefit or advantage to someone
noun
-
-
a person or thing that serves as a substitute
-
( as modifier )
a stand-in teacher
-
-
a person who substitutes for an actor during intervals of waiting or in dangerous stunts
Etymology
Origin of stand-in
First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase stand in
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:
One notable difference is that Hemingway’s stand-in has a permanent war wound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Unlike Alice, Bryan is the audience stand-in: the average guy who responds to a mind-boggling, impossible situation as clumsily as you or I might.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
But first Flávio must convince voters to treat him as a stand-in for his father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
When James Duval, a veteran of six Araki projects, often as the director’s stand-in, arrives on-screen it feels like an applause break for fans to cheer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
I’ll never have with him what I had with Jesse—I doubt I’ll have that again With anyone—but I want to be more than Marcus’s stand-in.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
While “The Social Reckoning” might stand in the shadow of its formative predecessor, the film confidently asserts its own merit.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The former president told AFP late September he planned to return to stand in the polls.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
While Zuckerberg’s function in “The Social Reckoning” is to stand in for Facebook as an entity, Sorkin isn’t totally ruling out any further exploration of the man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"It's really sad looking at where James used to stand in goal and saying 'where is he?'"
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“I don’t know, big enough for the four of us to stand in, so it’s like an O for Omi. And also a Circle of Friendship.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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.
