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Glite Dictionary
to stand at attention

to stand at attention

9 4.2
Hold the body straight with feet together and arms at the sides like a soldier
  • phrasal verb
  • Formal
translation icon : estar en posición de firmes
  • As the Latvian and Liv anthems play, the thirsty people in line stand at attention.
  • stood at attention and saluted
  • Soldiers stand at attention
  • Guards stand at attention

Examples

  • When a superior officer approaches you, you stand at attention.

    The Lost City (2005)

  • Major Forbes, stand at attention!

    Glory (1989)

  • You will stand at attention!

    Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008)

  • - Stand at attention and say, "Yes, sir."

    Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

  • We all jump to our feet and stand at attention.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • All men will stand at attention in front of the Freihaus.

    Colonia (2015)

  • The Marines stand at attention in their dress uniforms as General Newhouse addresses them.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The plebes stand at attention in their dreary gray uniforms; she does not put them at ease.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Christopher Watkins stands at attention at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery. Photographer unknown.

    Academic text (2015)

  • When the commander entered the room, all the recruits stood at attention.

Antonyms

to relax
∞ 1.0

To feel less nervous and more calm

to slouch
22 4.6

To sit, stand, or walk with the shoulders and head bent forward in a lazy way

How Attentive

to stand at attention
  • Formal
9 4.2
to slouch
22 4.6

Surface Forms

stand at attention infinitive
standing at attention present participle
stands at attention third person singular
stood at attention past
stood at attention past participle

Morphology

stand + at + attention

The meaning is directly compositional: 'stand' (be upright) combined with 'attention' (a formal military posture) yields the command to assume that posture. This is a conventional but transparent verb + prepositional phrase composition common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings will readily understand it.

Etymology

Stand at attention comes from soldiers who would stand very straight, with feet together and arms at their sides, while looking at an officer to show full attention. So it means 'to stand upright and be ready or show respect'.