standby B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈstændˌbaɪ/ See IPA manual Freq #10224 Meanings 1 noun A state of being ready to act at any moment if needed. The fire crew was on standby all night. 2 adj Kept ready to be used in an emergency. The hospital has a standby generator in case of a power cut. 3 noun Something or someone reliable that you can always turn to when needed. That recipe is an old standby for busy weeknights. 4 noun A low-power mode in which a device waits to be switched on fully. Leave the television on standby overnight. Thesaurus Word family Forms standbys Etymology AI details Deverbal from stand by. Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # standby **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun, adj **IPA (US):** /ˈstændˌbaɪ/ **Frequency rank:** 10224 ## Meanings 1. A state of being ready to act at any moment if needed. 2. Kept ready to be used in an emergency. 3. Something or someone reliable that you can always turn to when needed. 4. A low-power mode in which a device waits to be switched on fully. ## Examples - The fire crew was on standby all night. - The hospital has a standby generator in case of a power cut. - That recipe is an old standby for busy weeknights. - Leave the television on standby overnight. ## Etymology Deverbal from stand by. ## AI Etymology Standby is a deverbal formation from stand by. In present-day use, it can mean a state of being ready to act at any moment if needed, or kept ready to be used in an emergency. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown