standbys

noun

plural of standby
as in anchors
something or someone to which one looks for support our old standby in times of trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of standbys Colors like the perfectly balanced red Ruby Woo, deep beige Velvet Teddy and bright orchid Heroine are beauty-industry standbys, and the brand offers more than 150 lipstick shades in total. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026 Sports from the traditional standbys (artistic gymnastics) to the newest additions (flag football, lacrosse and squash) all sold through their first-drop availability. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 Old standbys have been reborn, too. — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026 While the appetite for $500-per-person omakase may be cooling slightly, Indian and Levantine spots are as in-demand as the city’s classic steakhouses and French and Italian standbys. — Beth Landman, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 At last month’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim — one of the world’s largest food trade shows — old standbys finding fresh roles and unexpected places to shine was the buzz. — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026 Spring’s touring theater productions are a mix of old standbys and new shows. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 18 Mar. 2026 Prep school standbys were seen across the runways for spring 2026, and are now trickling into transitional outerwear looks, with the help of a major wardrobe hero piece. — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026 Readers chose plenty of old standbys, but a few impressive upstarts are also on the hot list. — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standbys
  1. anchors
  2. mainstays
  3. backbones
  4. pillars
Noun
  • The disruption extended far beyond the classroom, leaving communities to absorb the loss of institutions that had long served as neighborhood anchors.
    — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Defensive tackles Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino return as anchors inside, while the Hoosiers also added Kansas State edge transfer Tobi Osunsanmi from the transfer portal.
    — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of anchors
Noun
  • For players who are or have the potential to be mainstays — think first baseman/outfielder Kyle Stowers and middle infield combination Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards — the Marlins would need to be blown away with the offer.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
  • The mainly American mainstays monopolize the market, while denim production has tight margins and is resource-intensive.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 28 July 2026
Definition of mainstays
Noun
  • Look under rocks for macroinvertebrates (animals without backbones, like stoneflies).
    — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 18 June 2026
  • Data centers also need to be close enough to users and network backbones to provide fast digital services.
    — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 16 June 2026
Definition of backbones
Noun
  • The living space would be elevated on pillars with parking and storage underneath — a common design along the coast.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • This blueprint needs to be built around three fundamental pillars.
    — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of pillars

Browse Nearby Words

standby
standbys
stand for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Standbys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standbys. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gnomic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All