standby

CEFRB1

/ˈstændˌbaɪ̯/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person or thing ready to be used when needed.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A replacement kept on standby.

Examples

  • National rescue teams are on standby ready to fly to Japan.

  • Just my old standby: lemon chicken.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈsteə̯ndˌbaɪ̯/
  • /ˈstɛːndˌbɑ̟ɪ̯/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings
  1. Sleep mode.

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

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

More examples

In context
  • Standby while I check that for you.

  • That recipe is an old standby, and she keeps the ingredients around in case of unexpected guests.

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

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The hospital always keeps an emergency generator on blank in case the main power fails.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Etymology tree English stand bydeverb. English standby Deverbal from stand by.