standing
B1Neutral to formal; common in legal, business, academic, and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The state or condition of being upright on one's feet; also, an established position, reputation, or duration.
In a legal, social, or financial context: a person's status, rank, or reputation. In a sporting context: a team's position in a league. In a temporal context: lasting or permanent.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Highly polysemous. Core physical sense (upright posture) extends metaphorically to social/legal position and temporal continuity (ongoing).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Legal term 'standing' (right to sue) is identical. 'Standing order' (banking) is common in UK; US may use 'automatic payment'.
Connotations
Slightly more formal/conservative connotation in UK for social rank (e.g., 'a man of standing').
Frequency
Similar frequency. Slightly higher in UK for 'standing order'.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have + standing (in)enjoy + standing (as)give + standing (to)of + standingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A standing invitation”
- “Leave someone/something standing”
- “Of long standing”
- “Standing on ceremony”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to creditworthiness (credit standing), market position.
Academic
Refers to academic rank, tenure, or the duration of a theory (long-standing debate).
Everyday
Physical position (standing in a queue), social reputation.
Technical
Legal right to bring a case (locus standi); engineering term for a static structure.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- She is a lawyer of considerable standing in the profession.
- There's only standing room left on the train to London.
- The club's league standing improved dramatically.
American English
- His standing in the community was damaged by the scandal.
- We had standing room only at the concert in Chicago.
- The committee reviewed her academic standing.
adjective
British English
- They have a standing invitation to visit us in Cornwall.
- The standing water attracted mosquitoes.
- It was a standing joke in the office.
American English
- He is a standing member of the finance committee in New York.
- Avoid drinking from standing water while hiking.
- Their rivalry was a standing feature of campus life.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He was standing at the bus stop.
- The baby is learning standing.
- Her standing in the class is very good.
- The team is in first standing.
- The long-standing dispute was finally resolved.
- She questioned his standing to make such a claim.
- The scholar's international standing lent weight to her critique.
- The legal doctrine of standing limits who can bring a case to court.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a person STANDING on a podium—their physical posture represents their high social STANDING.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIAL STATUS IS PHYSICAL HEIGHT/POSITION (high standing, low standing). DURATION IS PHYSICAL ENDURANCE (long-standing).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводить 'standing committee' как 'стоячий комитет', а как 'постоянный комитет'.
- 'Standing ovation' — не 'стоячая овация', а 'овация стоя'.
- В юридическом контексте 'standing' — это 'право на обращение в суд', а не просто 'положение'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'standing' as a verb (gerund) where a noun is needed: 'His good standing in the community' (NOT 'His good standing in the community is important for him').
- Confusing 'long-standing' (adj.) with 'standing for a long time' (verb phrase).
- Overusing 'standing' for simple 'reputation' in informal contexts.
Practice
Quiz
In a legal context, what does 'standing' primarily refer to?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are very common. As a noun for status/position, as an adjective for permanent/ongoing (standing order) or vertical (standing lamp).
'Standing' implies a relative position within a hierarchical system (social, professional). 'Reputation' is more about the general opinion others hold, which can be good or bad. One can have a notorious reputation but low social standing.
It is a compound adjective meaning 'having existed for a long time'. It always requires a hyphen. E.g., 'a long-standing agreement', 'their long-standing friendship'.
Yes, commonly. It refers to a team's or player's position in a league or ranking. E.g., 'Liverpool's standing in the Premier League'.
Explore