standing

[stan-ding]

noun

1. rank or status, especially with respect to social, economic, or personal position, reputation, etc..

   He had little standing in the community.

2. good position, reputation, or credit.

   He is a merchant of standing in the community.

3. length of existence, continuance, residence, membership, experience, etc..

   a friend of long standing.

4. Sports.,  standings, a list of teams or contestants arranged according to their past records.

   According to the standings, the White Sox are leading the division by three games.

5. the act of a person or thing that stands.

6. a place where a person or thing stands.

7. Law.,  the right to initiate or participate in a legal action.

   having standing as a friend of the court.

adjective

1. having an erect or upright position.

   a standing lamp.

2. performed in or from an erect position.

   a standing jump.

3. still; not flowing or stagnant, as water; stationary.

4. continuing without cessation or change; lasting or permanent.

5. continuing in operation, force, use, etc..

   a standing rule.

6. customary or habitual; generally understood.

   We have a standing bridge game every Friday night.

7. Printing.,  kept for use in subsequent printings.

   standing type.

8. out of use; idle.

   a standing engine.

9. Nautical.,  noting any of various objects or assemblages of objects fixed in place or position, unless moved for adjustment or repairs.

   standing bowsprit.

10. Knots.,  noting the part of a rope that is in use and terminates in a knot or the like.

standing

/ ˈstændɪŋ /

noun

1. social or financial position, status, or reputation

   a man of some standing

2. length of existence, experience, etc

3. (modifier) used to stand in or on

   standing room

adjective

1. athletics

   1. (of the start of a race) begun from a standing position without the use of starting blocks

   2. (of a jump, leap, etc) performed from a stationary position without a run-up

2. (prenominal) permanent, fixed, or lasting

3. (prenominal) still or stagnant

   a standing pond

4. printing (of type) set and stored for future use Compare dead

Other Word Forms

• unstanding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of standing¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; stand, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See credit.

Example Sentences

In the latter, another youngster emerges from a chaotic throng of people, standing apart from the hubbub while carrying a stack of books, suggesting that education offered opportunities to escape these harried circumstances.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But critics cannot quite get past the idea of women standing on a stage to be judged on their appearance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In response, local authorities have begun a province-wide effort to encourage residents to eliminate standing water and reduce mosquito breeding grounds.

Read more on Science Daily

Still, Australia has very high standing in the U.S. political and security establishment, and has a lot to offer, including better knowledge of Southeast Asia than the U.S., said Hamre.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I think we’re standing at the edge of a similar run today,” says Rational Equity Armor Fund portfolio manager Joe Tigay, who lived through the dot-com boom and bust as a floor trader.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• place 
• prestige 
• reputation 
• stature 
• status