standby

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A state of readiness without immediate involvement

   A state of readiness without immediate involvement; remaining in preparation for (a sudden or unforeseen event or situation).

   • The troops were on standby in case of an attack.
2. 2

   A replacement kept on standby.

   • During three weeks of the run, I was performing with walking pneumonia, but I had no choice other than to perform because we didn't have the budget for stand-bys.
3. 3

   Sleep mode.

4. ›+ 3 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Waiting at the airport in the hope of getting a seat on a flight that is already booked…

      Waiting at the airport in the hope of getting a seat on a flight that is already booked out.

   2. 5

      Something that is standard, well-tested, or frequently used.

      • That recipe is an old standby, and she keeps the ingredients around in case of unexpected guests.
      • The restaurant, Hop Louie, was a Chinatown standby for decades before closing in 2016.
      • Emerging from an Everyman Espresso shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn, last month, David Lieber, a customer, lamented what he saw as Blank Street’s targeting of a neighborhood standby.
   3. 6

      To wait briefly, as for additional communication by radio or telephone

      To wait briefly, as for additional communication by radio or telephone; alternative form of stand by.

      • Standby while I check that for you.
      • For quotations using this term, see Citations:standby.

The neighborhood

• synonymat the ready