standby

adjective
UK: /ˈstæn.baɪ/
US: /ˈstæn.baɪ/

  1. Ready to be used if needed.

    1. We have a standby generator.
    2. The hospital keeps extra equipment on standby in case of an emergency situation.

Synonyms

backup reserve
standby noun

  1. A person or thing ready to be used if necessary.

    1. I'm on standby for the concert.
    2. The backup server acted as a standby during the system upgrade procedure.

  2. The state of being ready to be used if needed.

    1. The system is on standby.
    2. The rescue team was placed on standby as the storm intensified overnight.
standby intransitive-verb

  1. To be ready or available to do something if necessary.

    1. I will standby for your call.
    2. The engineers had to standby while the technicians troubleshooted the error.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "standby" is /ˈstæn.baɪ/ in British English and /ˈstæn.baɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "standby": backup, reserve.

Example usage of "standby": "We have a standby generator.". More examples on the page.