to stand by
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To be ready to give assistance in case of need. A stand-by is a person or thing on which one can confidently rely.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to stand by” mean?
To be ready to give assistance in case of need. A stand-by is a person or thing on which one can confidently rely.
Is “to stand by” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.