Did you know?
If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for stand pat to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns standpatter ("one who resists or opposes change") and standpattism ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts.
Examples of standpat in a Sentence
James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, the other bullies in the West aren’t exactly standing pat.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
Andrea Riquier Stocks tumbled after the Federal Reserve stood pat on interest rates, citing uncertainty from the war in Iran and concerns about inflation.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Some teams got better, some teams shored up depth and some teams stood pat.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for standpat
Cite this Entry
“Standpat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stand pat
verb
