a substitute for a motion-picture star during the preparation of lighting, cameras, etc., or in dangerous scenes.
any substitute.
to act as a substitute
to be of benefit or advantage to someone
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
First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase stand in
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They serve as a stand-in for Porter himself, who, though absent in the flesh, nevertheless is the central personage around which these myriad dynamics revolve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Discussing Root as a stand-in captain, director of cricket Rob Key said the Yorkshireman regularly rescues England from 10-2.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Cerium, which is often used as a stand-in for plutonium, condensed in a similar manner to uranium.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Romero explains how the Supreme Court is essentially treating Callais “as a stand-in for principles that the justices either did not discuss in that case or flat-out claimed to reject.”
From Slate ● May 21, 2026
Although I had no doubts about the young man, I asked my friend and legal adviser George Bizos to be a stand-in for me.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Now England, the country of his birth, stand in his way.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
One reason fewer than 10% of employees remained on the job during the last working hour of the day is that they had to find time to stand in lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Justices then stand in yes-or-no retention elections every six years.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
Count on the ubiquitous “XX” that typically stand in for eyeballs on the Companion character and the artist’s other dark cartoonish creations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mrs. Medina comes to stand in front of us again.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
