stand by

stand by
1. to let something happen or to be unable to do anything to stop something from happening.

It was such a terrible fire that the firefighters had to stand by and let the fire burn itself out.

2. to be ready to be used if necessary.

During the fireworks display, the fire department trucks stood by, in case something went up in flames.


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  • stand — stand …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • stand — /stand/, v., stood, standing, n., pl. stands for 43 63, stands, stand for 64. v.i. 1. (of a person) to be in an upright position on the feet. 2. to rise to one s feet (often fol. by up). 3. to have a specified height when in this position: a… …   Universalium

  • Stand — (st[a^]nd), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Stood} (st[oo^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Standing}.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, OHG. stantan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae, Sw. st[*a],… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Stand by — Stand Stand (st[a^]nd), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Stood} (st[oo^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Standing}.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, OHG. stantan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stand-by — [ stɑ̃dbaj ] n. inv. et adj. inv. • 1975; de l angl. stand by passenger, de to stand by « se tenir prêt » et passenger « passager » ♦ Anglic. 1 ♦ Personne qui voyage en avion sans avoir réservé sa place (cf. Passager en attente). 2 ♦ N. m. Voyage …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Stand Up — may refer to:* Stand up comedy MusicAlbums* Stand Up (Dave Matthews Band album) * Stand Up (Everyday Sunday album) * Stand Up (Jethro Tull album) * Stand Up! (album), an album by The Archers * Stand Up (Blue King Brown album), an album by Blue… …   Wikipedia

  • stand — ► VERB (past and past part. stood) 1) be in or rise to an upright position, supported by one s feet. 2) place or be situated in a particular position. 3) move in a standing position to a specified place: stand aside. 4) remain stationary or… …   English terms dictionary

  • stand — [stand] vi. stood, standing [ME standen < OE standan; akin to MDu standen, Goth standan < IE base * stā , to stand, be placed > L stare, to stand, Gr histanai, to set, cause to stand] 1. a) to be or remain in a generally upright position …   English World dictionary

  • Stand Up — Álbum de Jethro Tull Publicación 1 de agosto de 1969 Grabación Abril de 1969 Género(s) Rock, rock progresivo, blues y …   Wikipedia Español

  • Stand — (st[a^]nd), n. [AS. stand. See {Stand}, v. i.] 1. The act of standing. [1913 Webster] I took my stand upon an eminence . . . to look into their several ladings. Spectator. [1913 Webster] 2. A halt or stop for the purpose of defense, resistance,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Stand — can mean several things:Objects*A stand, when referring to an object, is an object that has a massive head another object, usually for display purposes (at events or places such as a conference, a congress, a shop, etc.). See column, armature… …   Wikipedia

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