Stand·by Ëˆstan(d)ËŒbÄ«/ noun. Readiness for duty or immediate deployment; for example, “Buses were placed on standby for the trip to Washington.”  The state of waiting to secure an unreserved place for a journey or performance, allocated on the basis of earliest availability. “Standby” for travelers, military, etc. means waiting in an elevated state of preparedness for something...Read More