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Synonyms

stood

American  
[stood] / stʊd /

verb

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

stood British  
/ stʊd /

verb

  1. the past tense and past participle of stand

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
stood Idioms  

  1. see should have stood in bed.

Usage

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. 

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.

A month ago, the odds that policymakers would keep rates unchanged stood at just 14%.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

He stood alone on top of a giant dome, far from the crowd, while lights made it appear like a planet was spinning under his feet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

He now expects Tesla to report 30 cents on that metric for the first quarter, but he said consensus expectations for this period “once stood as high as $3.68.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

When Trump praised Rubio during his State of the Union, the secretary mouthed “thank you,” placed a hand on his heart, and briefly stood to acknowledge the applause before ducking back into his seat.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

I said good-bye to some guests at the door and stood for a moment gazing up and down the Barteljorisstraat.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.