stand for
phrase
1
as in allow
to give permission for or to approve of
They would not stand for their children missing curfew.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stand
to put up with (something painful or difficult)
The nanny did not stand for whining from the children.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in represent
to serve as a material counterpart of
He got a tattoo that stood for his love of fishing.
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Recent Examples of stand for
Stagger director terms so only a third stand for election each year, which blocks a single-cycle takeover.
—
Kyle Westaway,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Crisis and renewal are strictly a matter of marketing now, a fiction that permanently assigns the Democrats the role of technocrats managing national decline while Republicans get to stand for muscular optimism and economic expansion.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
As such, the stadium and ensuing further reimagination of the area upon which Kansas City was founded and later left to ruin for decades stands for more yet than being purpose-built for a women’s team.
—
Kansas City Star,
30 June 2026
Stark’s record for the most goals scored in a single season — 70 across 46 appearances for Bethlehem Steel in the 1924-25 season — stood for 87 years until it was broken in 2012 by a guy by the name of Lionel Messi.
—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Wang is also one of the 10 designers selected for Kering’s new initiative in China dubbed CRAFT, which stands for Creative Residency for Artisanship, Fashion and Technology, following a LVMH Prize nomination in 2016.
—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Kyle Westaway,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Crisis and renewal are strictly a matter of marketing now, a fiction that permanently assigns the Democrats the role of technocrats managing national decline while Republicans get to stand for muscular optimism and economic expansion.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
As such, the stadium and ensuing further reimagination of the area upon which Kansas City was founded and later left to ruin for decades stands for more yet than being purpose-built for a women’s team.
—
Kansas City Star,
30 June 2026
Stark’s record for the most goals scored in a single season — 70 across 46 appearances for Bethlehem Steel in the 1924-25 season — stood for 87 years until it was broken in 2012 by a guy by the name of Lionel Messi.
—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Wang is also one of the 10 designers selected for Kering’s new initiative in China dubbed CRAFT, which stands for Creative Residency for Artisanship, Fashion and Technology, following a LVMH Prize nomination in 2016.
—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Stand for.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stand%20for. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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