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Glite Dictionary
🔋 A backup ⏳ Ready if needed
standby

standby

75 3.7
A person or thing kept ready to use as a backup
  • noun
  • /ˈstændˌbaɪ/
translation icon : reserva
  • There are several nurses on standby at the hospital to assist during the upcoming flu season.
  • a standby counsel
  • an old standby
  • appointment of a standby

I've chosen to start with the old standby squeezable food.

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Examples

  • And we actually had a plane on standby because we were worried that something could happen.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • If you want to stay at the airport, maybe we can get you on standby.

    Home Alone (1990)

  • We have a second family on standby.

    Ordinary Angels (2024)

  • The navy was also on standby to send its ships to Japan.

    Academic text (2018)

  • He kept police officers on standby for weeks.

    CompleX (2021)

  • We, however, kept cardiac drugs, a defibrillator, and a temporary pacemaker on standby for any emergency.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Some directors resist new repertoire, preferring to program old standbys rather than exploring new territory.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Bass chords boom, and an old Elvis standby bounces off the walls of the lobby.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The emergency services had extra teams on standby in case the storm caused any major damage.

  • We arranged for a standby actor to take the lead role if the main performer fell ill.

Synonyms

backup
vsstandby
367 2.9

A person who takes another person's place when needed

is broader meaning a ready replacement or reserve for emergencies
understudy
vsstandby
28 5.1

A person who learns another actor's role to replace them at short notice

is a general reserve for emergencies across people or objects
stand-in
vsstandby
13 4.2

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

is used more widely as a ready person or thing for emergencies

How Ready

standby
75 3.7
backup
367 2.9
fallback
4.4
reserve
194 3.5

Surface Forms

standby singular
standbys plural

Morphology

standby = stand + by (transparent) = stand + by

Derived from the phrasal verb 'stand by' meaning 'be ready'; the compound directly conveys the idea of being ready as a backup.

Etymology

Standby comes from the phrase stand by, made of stand ('to stay') and by ('near'). Picture someone standing by the door ready to step in, so a standby is a person or thing kept as a ready backup or replacement.