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Stand up meaning

Stand up means to move your body so you are on your feet. It can also mean to not come to meet someone, often on a date, when you agreed to.

Check yourself: 3 questions

stand up

stand up · stood · standing

A2No object+2 more meanings

Everyone stood up when the judge came in.

Stand up meanings and examples

3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1move your body so you are on your feet
  2. 2not come to meet someone, often on a date, when you agreed to
  3. 3be shown to be true when people check it carefully
  1. 1

    Move your body so you are on your feet

    stand up

    A2No object

    • Everyone stood up when the judge came in.
    • I can’t stand up. My leg hurts.
    • Stand up, please, and say your name.
  2. 2

    Not come to meet someone, often on a date, when you agreed to

    stand somebody up

    B2Separable

    • I waited an hour at the café. He stood me up!
    • Have you ever been stood up?
    • She would never stand a friend up.
  3. 3

    Be shown to be true when people check it carefully

    stand up

    C1No object

    • His story didn’t stand up in court.
    • Will these results stand up to more tests?
    • Her excuse sounded good, but it didn’t stand up.
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Is stand up separable?

When stand up means get on your feet, it has no object: She stood up. When it means not meet someone for a date, the person goes in the middle: He stood me up.

Stand up for means defend someone: stand up for your friend. Stand up to means refuse to obey someone stronger: stand up to a bully. Stand-up comedy is jokes told by one person on stage.

Verb tenses for stand up

PresentI stand up · she stands up
Paststood up
Present perfecthave stood up
-ing formstanding up

Common mistakes with stand up

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: She stand up and left the room.

    Right: She stood up and left the room.

    The past of stand is stood.

  • Wrong: He stood up me last Friday.

    Right: He stood me up last Friday.

    In the date meaning, the person goes between stand and up.

  • Wrong: She stood up to her little brother when the older kids teased him.

    Right: She stood up for her little brother when the older kids teased him.

    Stand up for means defend someone. Stand up to means face someone stronger.

Synonyms and opposites of stand up

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

Stand up quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1The music started and everybody ___ to dance.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“Her story didn’t stand up.” What does this mean?

More phrasal verbs with stand

3 phrasal verbs start with stand. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on standTake the full test

Stand up FAQ

Questions people ask about stand up.

What does stood up mean on a date?

If you were stood up, the person you had a date with did not come and did not tell you. I was stood up last night.

Stand up for vs stand up to: what is the difference?

Stand up for means defend someone: She stood up for her brother. Stand up to means refuse to obey or fear someone: He stood up to the bully.

What is stand-up comedy?

Stand-up is comedy where one person stands on a stage and tells jokes to an audience. The person is a stand-up comedian.

Use stand up in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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