phrasal verb🧩 phrasal verb

stand up

to rise to your feet

What it means

To rise to a standing position from sitting or lying down. It can also mean to fail to meet someone for a planned date, or to defend a person or principle when followed by 'for'.

Examples

  • Everyone stood up when the judge entered the courtroom.
  • Please stand up and introduce yourself to the class.
  • He stood her up on their second date — she was furious.
  • You should always stand up for what you believe in.

Where it comes from

Inseparable in the basic 'rise' meaning. Separable when it means to fail to meet someone ('he stood me up'). 'Stand up for' (defend) and 'stand up to' (resist) are useful related forms. The dating sense is American in origin but now used everywhere in English.

Related phrasal verbs

#sit down#get up#sit up#lie down

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