stand-up
adjective
standing erect or upright, as a collar.
stand-up
American
[stand-uhp]
/ ˈstændˌʌp /
Or
standup
adjective
-
standing erect or upright, as a collar.
-
performed, taken, etc., while one stands.
a stand-up meal.
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designed for or requiring a standing position.
a stand-up lunch counter.
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(of a fight) characterized by the rapid exchange of many blows with little attention given to defensive maneuvering.
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(of a person) characterized by an erect or bold stance.
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Baseball. (of a double or triple) pertaining to a hit that allows the hitter to reach the base safely without having to slide.
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relating to or noting a performance by a comedian delivering a monologue while alone on the stage.
stand-up comedy;
the best stand-up comics.
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Slang. loyal and dependable.
He seems to be a real stand-up guy.
noun
-
stand-ups
plural
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comedy in which a comedian delivers a monologue while alone on the stage.
We bought tickets to see some stand-up at a club downtown.
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a comedian who delivers such monologues.
I've been a stand-up for about five years.
stand up
British
verb
-
(intr) to rise to the feet
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(intr) to resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc
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informal (tr) to fail to keep an appointment with, esp intentionally
-
-
to support, side with, or defend
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to serve as best man for (the groom) at a wedding
-
-
-
to confront or resist courageously
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to withstand or endure (wear, criticism, etc)
-
adjective
-
having or being in an erect position
a stand-up collar
-
done, performed, taken, etc, while standing
a stand-up meal
-
(of comedy or a comedian) performed or performing solo
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informal (of a boxer) having an aggressive style without much leg movement
a stand-up fighter
noun
-
a stand-up comedian
-
stand-up comedy
stand up
Idioms
-
Remain valid, sound, or durable, as in His claim will not stand up in court , or Our old car stood up well over time . [Mid-1900s]
-
Fail to keep a date or appointment with, as in Al stood her up twice in the past week, and that will be the end of their relationship . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900] Also see stand up for ; stand up to ; stand up with .
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stand-up
First recorded in 1580–90; adjective and noun use of verb phrase stand up
Vocabulary lists containing stand-up
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:
Her stand-up hour ”Modern Times” can be seen Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The 2026 Mental Health and Social Inclusion study also found that stand-up “enables performers, including those with neurodiverse traits, to reclaim personal narratives and engage in peer-supported communities of practice.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Spies’ parents were educators, and while she was building her career as a comic, she worked as an eighth-grade drama teacher and developed a stand-up curriculum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Creating digital content for social media to back up a career in stand-up demonstrates that success is completely within the control of comics, she continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
I knew—as he knew—that it was a stand-up fight with death, and in a pause told him so.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
“And I’m going to stand up to those assaults, and Californians will continue to stand up to those assaults.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“There will be a moment,” Sajet said, “when the American people will have to stand up and decide, is this what they want?”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Too often, the tracks fall into an in-between space, where they’re not rhythmically interesting enough to make you want to move and don’t have the tunes to stand up as pop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
What I do expect is for our government to stand up for its citizens, to challenge what is happening and to keep pushing when commitments are made and then not honoured.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
After I finish the last problem and check all my work, I’m about to stand up to turn in my exam, but the legs of someone else’s chair scrape against the floor first.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
He settled in Ireland and built a comedy career doing specials unlike what you’d find most young stand-ups doing in America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The guest list was as eclectic as the format: fellow stand-ups, YouTubers, chess players and assorted internet personalities, each drawn into Raina's loose, improvisational orbit.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
“Our customers aren’t actually all in the office anymore, and so they don’t necessarily want us in the office with them, but we do daily stand-ups with them.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
And these are stand-ups I love, and they’re not that great.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
But these days stand-ups release a lot more product than they used to and in more places, from satellite radio to TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
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.
