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Glite Dictionary
to stand someone in good stead

to stand someone in good stead

1 6.0
To help someone later in life or work
  • idiom
translation icon : ser útil
  • Being able to show that you are interested in what they do, the products they sell, or the services they provide will stand you in good stead.
  • skills that will stand you in good stead

Examples

  • All those dancing lessons will stand you in good stead now.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • That approach has stood me in good stead.

    Blog text (23)

  • So whatever position you apply for in the future, the skills you've gained while studying nursing will always stand you in good stead.

    Blog text (9)

  • This quality, which had amused Flora and driven his former pupils to rage, had recently stood him in good stead.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • She realized that she'd made careful, rational decisions all her life, a trait that had obviously stood her in good stead career-wise, but that at times might have been limiting.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • He still relied on I.W.'s financial acumen and a natural charm that stood him in good stead with the wives of Manhattan bankers.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The languages she learned will stand her in good stead when traveling abroad.

  • His experience with technology will stand him in good stead in the job market.

  • Learning to manage time effectively will stand you in good stead throughout your studies.

Synonyms

to come in handy
vsto stand someone in good stead
79 2.8

To be useful in a certain situation

focuses on future advantage rather than mere present convenience
to serve well
vsto stand someone in good stead
3 3.5

Be useful to someone when they need it

emphasizes usefulness that gives advantage later rather than immediate help
to serve in good stead
vsto stand someone in good stead
7.0

To be useful to someone in the future

is the same meaning but uses an alternative customary phrasing

Antonyms

useless
550 1.0

Not able to do the job it is made for

Surface Forms

stand someone in good stead infinitive
standing someone in good stead present participle
stands someone in good stead third person singular
stood someone in good stead past
stood someone in good stead past participle

Morphology

stand + someone + in + good + stead

The overall meaning ‘to be useful or of advantage’ is not transparently built from the literal senses of the parts: 'stand' + 'in' + 'good' do not clearly yield the semantic role expressed by the archaic noun 'stead' (which here means 'use' or 'benefit' and is unlikely to be known). Because 'stead' is obsolete/opaque to learners and the construction is idiomatic, a B1 learner who only knows the surface words would not reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Stand someone in good stead comes from the old word 'stead' meaning 'place' or 'help', and it paints the picture of something that can stand in the right spot to support you later. So it now means 'to be useful' or to give someone an advantage in the future.