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standing ovation

standing ovation

35 3.5
A loud, long applause where people stand to show strong praise
  • noun
  • /ˈstændɪŋ oʊˈveɪʃən/
translation icon : ovación de pie
  • The entire crowd rose to their feet and gave the speaker a standing ovation at the end of his inspiring speech.
  • receive a standing ovation

And here was Szalinski getting a standing ovation before an international audience.

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Examples

  • The applause for each number was deafening, and the cast received a thunderous standing ovation.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • But the standing ovation was nice.

  • How about you give me a standing ovation?

  • I gave you a standing ovation when you arrived.

  • We gave you a standing ovation.

  • At the end, they gave the man, not the message, a standing ovation.

    Academic text (1992)
  • When all their names had been called, they received a standing ovation.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The audience is on their feet with a standing ovation.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • And we all deserve a standing ovation at least once in our lives.

  • After this statement, he received a standing ovation from the five thousand members in attendance.

    Academic text (1997)

Synonyms

round of applause
vsstanding ovation
59 1.9

A short time when many people clap to show approval

includes that clapping but adds people rising and stronger enthusiasm
ovation
vsstanding ovation
55 4.3

A long loud round of clapping by people to show strong approval

involves the audience rising to their feet as part of the appreciation
big hand
vsstanding ovation
18 2.9

Loud applause from an audience to show strong approval

is similar but usually includes people rising and a louder reaction
acclamation
vsstanding ovation
3 6.7

Loud enthusiastic praise that a group gives

is a physical group response where people rise and clap loudly
plaudits
vsstanding ovation
  • Formal
8.2

Praise people give someone in public for something good they did

is a collective physical gesture with people rising and clapping rather than words

Antonyms

660 2.0

A period with no sound or speech

boo
70 5.9

A loud sound people make to show they do not like something

How Enthusiastic

standing ovation
35 3.5
ovation
55 4.3
cheering
215 1.0
applause
647 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

standing + ovation

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'standing' (upright, not seated) with 'ovation' (prolonged applause); a learner who knows both words can infer an applause given while people stand. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'ovación de pie', French 'ovation debout') and follows regular English noun + noun/adj modification, so it should be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Standing ovation comes from the simple picture of an audience rising to their feet to clap after a great show. People literally stand and give loud praise, an ovation, so the phrase means 'an enthusiastic show of appreciation'.