stand
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: stan'
"to STAND treat," to pay for a friend’s entertainment; to bear expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, "Will you STAND that?" a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, "This house STOOD me in £1000;" i.e., cost that sum; "to STAND pad," to beg on the kerb with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, "I am starving."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “stand” mean?
"to STAND treat," to pay for a friend’s entertainment; to bear expense; to put up with treatment, good or ill, as, "Will you STAND that?" a question often asked when a man has been struck or insulted. Also in the sense of aggregate cost, as, "This house STOOD me in £1000;" i.e., cost that sum; "to STAND pad," to beg on the kerb with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, "I am starving."
Is “stand” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.