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stand

stand

123 6.0
A last effort to resist attack or defeat
  • noun
  • /stænd/
translation icon : resistencia
  • "Isn't he, in a way, making a last stand for the values of the Old West?
  • last stand
  • make a stand
  • a strong stand

You know, I have to take a stand here, so.

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Examples

  • We have to make a stand.

  • I say we make a stand.

  • I just know that if you take a stand, your life will get better.

  • Now they are taking a stand today and saying enough is enough.

  • - We must make a stand now!

  • I say we take a stand.

  • There he prepared to make his last stand against the oncoming Americans.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • That's when Drew Johnson took a stand by staying seated.

  • They took a staunch stand on keeping Kansas free.

  • The community took a firm stand against the proposed law to protect their rights.

Synonyms

stance
vsstand
77 3.3

A way of standing that helps you keep balance or defend yourself

refers to determined resistance effort rather than bodily posture
last stand
vsstand
14 6.1

A final strong effort to resist a change or attack when defeat seems near

is the same effort but not always expressed as explicitly final

Antonyms

235 4.0

To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger

77 4.2

Giving up after defeat, for example when an army stops fighting

Idioms

To seem likely from the facts

To have a good reason or proof to support your claim

Act very formally and keep to strict social rules

To support yourself without help from other people

Support and stay loyal to your husband or partner during hard times

Make progress by using the ideas and work of earlier people

4 8.1

Unable to handle pressure or strong criticism

To publicly show support, often when doing so is risky

Make people notice you in a group

Make new progress by using important ideas or work from people who came before

To help someone later in life or work

To leave a place quickly because you do not want to be there

Keep doing what you believe is right even when it is hard

To keep trying after many failures no matter how often you fail

5.3

Cause a strong fear or surprise that gives you goosebumps

7.9

Have no good reason or evidence to support a claim

Do things that stop you from succeeding

Imagine yourself in another person's situation to understand how they feel

To stay still and feel awkward when you should do something

Use other people's ideas or work to move forward

To be unsure and not decide

A question asking which person is the real one

Compounds

46 3.9

A raised place in a courtroom where a person tells what they saw

36 6.3

A sexual encounter that happens for only one night and does not continue

stand-up
  • Jargon
35 3.7

A short meeting where team members stand and give brief updates about work

19 4.3

A desk or counter you use while standing rather than sitting

14 6.1

A final strong effort to resist a change or attack when defeat seems near

13 4.2

A person who takes another person's place, for example in a performance or at work

stand-alone
  • Specialized
12 4.9

Able to work by itself without other equipment

7 7.9

A law allowing someone to use force, even deadly force, without first trying to leave when threatened

4 1.6

A thing that holds sheet music so a musician can read it while playing

stand-down
  • Jargon
4 6.3

A temporary pause in military activity to let troops rest and stop being on alert

A raised platform where officials and guests watch a parade or ceremony

3 3.4

Electric machine with a bowl that beats and kneads dough

An 1876 battle at Little Bighorn where Sioux and Cheyenne killed General Custer and his soldiers

1 5.0

A series of games a team plays at its home stadium

1 2.3

A piece of furniture with a tall pole and hooks for hanging coats

A show that happens in one place for only one night

stand oil
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A thick slow-drying oil artists mix into paint to make it smoother and shinier

stand-in
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A simple fake used in software tests to act like a real service

A rack for holding and locking bikes

A metal rack where you park and lock a bicycle

An area of seats under a roof that shelters spectators from weather

A small holder for oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper on a dining table

9.6

A short romantic or sexual meeting that lasts part of one night without starting a relationship

wash-hand stand
  • Archaic
9.9

A small table that holds a basin and pitcher for washing hands before indoor plumbing

How Determined

last stand
14 6.1
stand
123 6.0
resistance
214 4.0

Surface Forms

stand singular
stands plural

Etymology

The noun stand meaning a final or brave effort comes from soldiers 'standing' to hold a place in battle, so a 'last stand' is a determined effort to resist. This shows how the physical act of standing became a word for firm resistance.