standby

See also: stand-by and stand by

English

Alternative forms

• stand-by

Etymology

Deverbal from stand by.

Pronunciation

• (noun):
  • (without /æ/ raising) IPA^(key): /ˈstændˌbaɪ̯/, [ˈstændˌbaɪ̯]

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

      • (/æ/ raising)
        • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsteə̯ndˌbaɪ̯/, /ˈstɛə̯ndˌbaɪ̯/
        • (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛːndˌbɑ̟ɪ̯/
• (verb):
  • (without /æ/ raising) IPA^(key): /ˌstændˈbaɪ̯/, [ˌstændˈbaɪ̯]

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

      • (/æ/ raising)
        • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌsteə̯ndˈbaɪ̯/, /ˌstɛə̯ndˈbaɪ̯/
        • (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˌstɛːndˈbɑ̟ɪ̯/
• Hyphenation: stand‧by

Noun

standby (countable and uncountable, plural standbys)

1. 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.

   • 1958 August, T. S. Lascelles, “Diamond Jubilee of the Waterloo & City Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 523:

     In 1915, concurrent with the L.S.W.R. electrification, power was supplied from the Waterloo sub-station, and the old equipment held in reserve. Some generator sets were removed, and motor generators installed for standby lighting and other services.

2. A replacement kept on standby.
   • 1977 December 17, Harold Pickett, quoting Jim Ferguson, “New York, New York”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 24, page 6:

     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. (electronics) Sleep mode.
4. (travel) Waiting at the airport in the hope of getting a seat on a flight that is already booked out.
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.

   • 2022 March 2, Erin Woo, Kevin Roose, “This Social Club Runs On Crypto Tokens and Vibes”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 22 March 2023:

     The restaurant, Hop Louie, was a Chinatown standby for decades before closing in 2016.

   • 2022 August 29, Julia Moskin, “It’s Not Just You — Blank Street Coffee Is Suddenly Inescapable”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 1 February 2023:

     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.

Synonyms

• at the ready

Derived terms

• standby loan
• standby time

Translations

state of readiness without immediate involvement

• Bulgarian: гото́вност (bg) f (gotóvnost)
• Danish: beredskab (da)
• Finnish: valmiustila (fi), valmius (fi)
• German: Bereitschaft (de) f
• Greek: αναμονή (el) f (anamoní)
• Hungarian: készenlét (hu), készültség (hu), harckészültség (hu)
• Māori: tūtatari
• Polish: stan gotowości m inan
• Romanian: stare standby f, standby, așteptare (ro) f
• Russian: гото́вность (ru) f (gotóvnostʹ), состоя́ние гото́вности n (sostojánije gotóvnosti)

sleep mode of an electrical device — see also sleep mode

• Bulgarian: гото́вност (bg) f (gotóvnost)
• Catalan: mode d'espera m
• French: veille (fr) f
• Hungarian: készenlét (hu), készenléti üzemmód
• Polish: stan wstrzymania m inan, uśpienie n

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

• Catalan: sense reserva
• Hungarian: lefoglalt, de üres/betöltetlen helyre várakozás repülőtéren
• Polish: standby (pl) m inan
• Russian: ожидание (ru) n (ožidanije)

something that is standard, well-tested, or frequently used

• Finnish: hätävara (fi)
• German: verlässliche und bewährte Sache f
• Greek: εφεδρικός (el) m (efedrikós)
• Hungarian: (jól) bevált (módszer/megoldás)
• Polish: pewniak m inan, klasyk (pl) m inan, standard (pl) m inan

Verb

standby (third-person singular simple present standbys, present participle standbying, simple past and past participle standbyed)

1. (proscribed, nonstandard, operations) 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.

Translations

to wait briefly

• Bulgarian: стоя в състояние на готовност (stoja v săstojanie na gotovnost)
• Finnish: odottaa hetki
• German: dranbleiben, kurz warten, abwarten (de), in Wartestellung bleiben
• Māori: tūtatari
• Polish: być w pogotowiu impf, być w gotowości impf

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

English stand bydeverb.

English standbyubor.

Romanian standby

Unadapted borrowing from English standby.

Adjective

standby m or f or n (indeclinable)

1. standby

Declension

Declension of standby (invariable)

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	standby		standby	standby	standby
	definite	—		—	—	—
genitive- dative	indefinite	standby		standby	standby	standby
	definite	—		—	—	—