stand-up

or stand·up

[stand-uhp]

See more synonyms for stand-up on Thesaurus.com

adjective

standing erect or upright, as a collar.
performed, taken, etc., while one stands: a stand-up meal.
designed for or requiring a standing position: a stand-up lunch counter.

(of a fight) characterized by the rapid exchange of many blows with little attention given to defensive maneuvering.
characterized by an erect or bold stance: a stand-up batter who hits many doubles.
Baseball. (of a double or triple) pertaining to a hit that allows the hitter to reach the base safely without having to slide.
(of a comedian) delivering a comic monologue while alone on the stage.

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Origin of stand-up

First recorded in 1580–90; adj. use of verb phrase stand up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

good legal honest appropriate legitimate proper honorable suitable true upstanding vertical standing straight plumb upright horizontal steep deserved due merited

Examples from the Web for stand-up

Contemporary Examples

Spencer, 27, is variously described as a writer and a stand-up comic.
Meet Stephen Fry’s Future Husband (Who Is Less Than Half His Age)
Tom Sykes
January 6, 2015
The correspondent does a stand-up next to a burning pile of heroin and gets a taste of its effect.
BBC Reporter Gets High On The Job
Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video
December 23, 2014
I watch his stand-up, I watch Chris Rock's, I read Baldwin and Baraka, I listen to Kanye.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting
Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard
December 10, 2014
Early this year, Cosby had a sitcom in development for NBC and a stand-up special in development for Netflix.
How the World Turned on Bill Cosby: A Day-by-Day Account
Scott Porch
December 1, 2014
I read that the series Hello Ladies came from a stand-up show of yours.
Stephen Merchant Talks ‘Hello Ladies’ movie, the Nicole Kidman Cameo, and Legacy of ‘The Office’
Marlow Stern
November 22, 2014

Historical Examples

The edge of a stand-up collar, stiff with gold embroidery, rubbed her cheek.
The Rescue
Joseph Conrad
He lighted one, and stuck it on the ledge of the stand-up desk.
Victory
Joseph Conrad
There is no harm in a stand-up fight with the weapons of nature.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray
There were ladies in coats and stand-up collars, and gentlemen with ringlets.
All Roads Lead to Calvary
Jerome K. Jerome
This will do away with the stand-up look that sleeves sometimes have.
Textiles and Clothing
Kate Heintz Watson

Word Origin and History for stand-up

adj.

"courageous," 1811, originally of fist fights. To stand (someone) up "fail to keep an appointment" is attested from 1902. Stand-up comic first attested 1966.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper