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.
Iliffe-Moon often finds herself in meetings alongside engineers and product managers, acting as a stand-in for the everyday, often cynical consumer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 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
England's standards in the field slipped again when they were under pressure, but stand-in skipper Charlie Dean led an encouraging fightback by removing both set batters in the 14th over.
From BBC • May 28, 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
“Isn’t that what you’re doing? Tell me this girl isn’t some stand-in for Mom. Some surrogate.”
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
