stood

[stood]

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of stand.

stood

/ stʊd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of stand

Idioms and Phrases

see should have stood in bed.

Example Sentences

HASAKAH, Syria—In a wing of the notorious Al Sina prison in northeastern Syria, where some of the world’s most dangerous inmates are held, guards wearing balaclavas stood along a corridor lined with cells.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Another 15 saplings will be housed in each of the UK's National Parks, including Northumberland National Park where the tree stood, in early 2026.

Read more on BBC

There was a buzz in the room as he stood before Mexican painter Kahlo’s sleeping self-portrait.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Everything stood still for a couple of minutes and we got back to business, but we're thinking of everyone and hoping there wasn't too much damage done."

Read more on BBC

That wasn’t where things stood even a year ago, especially for the defense.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• erect 
• locate 
• place 
• put 
• rank 
• rise 
• set 
• settle 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of stood?

Stood is the past tense and past participle of the verb stand. Stood can mean to be positioned upright (in the past), to not move or budge (in the past), or to believe in something (in the past). Stood, like stand, has many other senses as a verb. As the past tense of stand, stood is used in many of the same idioms.If someone stood somewhere, it means they were in an upright position at that location and not sitting or lying down. If an object stood somewhere, it was located there and hadn’t yet collapsed, fell down, or been moved somewhere else.

• Real-life examples: The Colossus of Rhodes stood at a Greek harbor before collapsing during an earthquake. Archaeologists may find evidence of a building that once stood somewhere in the past but has since been destroyed.



• Used in a sentence: I stood by the door and waited for the mailman. 

Stood can also mean that someone or an animal rose from a sitting, lying, or squatting position. This sense is often followed by up.

• Used in a sentence: Larry slowly stood up out of his chair to greet his son.  

In a similar sense, stood can be used to mean that something was a certain height if positioned fully upright.

• Used in a sentence: I swear that the King Kong statue stood over 100 feet tall! 

Stood can also mean to have not moved or given any ground.

• Used in a sentence: I stood firm against the volley of snowballs. 

Stood can also mean to believe in something. This sense is often followed by the word for.

• Used in a sentence: I try to live up to my mother’s legacy and follow the values she stood for.