Standby, Definition of standby in English by Oxford Dictionaries

Definition of standby in English: 1 Readiness for duty or immediate deployment. ‘One platoon is always on standby for immediate deployment to crisis spots.’ ‘Firefighters were called to the scene and placed on standby but were not needed.’ ‘He said: ‘There was a lifeboat on standby for safety for the crews because they were working above the water.’’ ‘They had told me to be on standby and not to book a holiday.’ ‘As part of the government's rapid reaction force, 45 Commando are on permanent standby for deployment to anywhere in the world at very short notice.’ ‘Gritters were placed on standby ready to treat motorways and other main roads in an effort to prevent accidents.’ ‘The 16 volunteers - handpicked for their varied skills and expertise - were on standby until the middle of last month.’ ‘The property and the adjacent house were cordoned off and an ambulance was put on standby near the scene.’ ‘Gritters and snow ploughs are on standby as temperatures look set to plummet to - 8C across Hampshire next week.’ ‘The police helicopter unit was placed on standby.’ ‘The rescue service remains on permanent standby and is ready to mobilise to any site worldwide within 12 hours.’ ‘Voters will go to the polls today with 95,000 police on the streets and 100,000 troops on standby for immediate deployment.’ ‘The force helicopter will also be on standby to respond to robberies and protect security staff.’ ‘Likewise, the Reserve forces will be revamped to have 2,800 troops in small units on standby for swift deployment.’ ‘The image consultants have been on 24-hour emergency standby.’ ‘A Special Reaction Team is on standby 24 hours a day.’ ‘The lifeboat crew are on standby all the year round.’ ‘The air ambulance is one of only three helicopters in the country that covers night flying and is on standby for 19 hours a day, from 8am until 3am, 365 days a year.’ ‘By spotting the danger signs early enough, a civil defence team can be put on standby to provide an immediate response to another flood.’ ‘A waiter was already there on standby in case we needed something.’ 1.1 count noun A person or thing ready to be deployed immediately, especially if needed as backup in an emergency. ‘BT are also investigating ways to exploit the stocks of fuel set aside to operate the exchange standby power generators.’ ‘It was also reported last week that hospital bosses knew the standby air conditioning unit had been faulty for five years, but did not have the money to repair it.’ ‘Hospitals must have standby power, because building codes and accreditation organizations require it.’ ‘In most cases, the second server is a standby server - ready to take over if the first server fails.’ ‘Producers can fall into the same reasoning, so standbys and understudies rarely get the job when a star needs to be replaced long-term.’ ‘Athens Olympics organisers took the extraordinary step early yesterday of training a standby athlete to light the Olympic flame.’ ‘They have a standby generator and five solar panels.’ ‘Although you can buy a commercial version of Jenny's ginger, shallot and chilli sauce, she says it is easy to make and is a wonderful standby to have in the fridge.’ ‘It was not surprising that a standby system was always in place.’ ‘There are nearly 100 people on night shift as standby in case of emergencies.’ ‘Third, escape routes should be fitted with standby power and smoke - protection devices, and proper evacuation procedures should be planned.’ ‘In all football championship matches the referee must have his own umpires and official linesmen and a standby referee are also appointed.’ ‘The tugboat is truly multi purpose, as it can lead oil tankers into port, repair petroleum pipes in the sea and act as a standby rescue boat.’ ‘A standby crew of 15 fully trained nurses work lull time at The Pas Hospital and are on call 24 hours.’ ‘Only twelve players are selected along with three reserves and three standbys.’ ‘Soup is a great standby, and we Scots are the best soup-makers of all.’ ‘Stored rainwater also is a good standby in times of emergencies such as power outages or during periods of extreme drought when wells dry up.’ ‘Permanent standby generators with automatic operation generally cost between $2,200 and $10,000.’ ‘And atop the van were five bicycles, kept as a standby in case of the breakdown of any cycle during the course of the rally.’ ‘Is the carbon dioxide produced by all those standby power stations accounted for in their statistics?’ ‘Thank goodness it was only ever a standby facility, and that today it lies rotting and abandoned.’ ‘To ensure emergency electricity supplies, standby generators are being provided for pumping and ventilation.’ ‘Electrical goods and appliances left on standby contribute to more than €30m in wasted energy state-wide so its best to turn them off when not in use.’ ‘Normally you should only receive the message that the computer cannot go into standby mode if the camera is attached to the computer.’ ‘Around £88m is wasted by leaving TVs on standby.’ ‘There's an entirely sensible campaign now in the UK to encourage people to switch off appliances left on standby, saving both greenhouse gas emissions and money.’ ‘Your TV and video can use as much electricity on standby as they do switched on, so unplug them at night.’ ‘There can be a problem with televisions left on standby as the current has nowhere to go.’ ‘We're looking at some sort of device which could provide the energy for household goods instead of them running off the mains when they are on standby.’ ‘The standby function on electrical appliances is responsible for an estimated six per cent of the UK's domestic electricity consumption.’ ‘Laser printers are energy hogs, both during active use and in standby mode.’ ‘Having your appliances like TVs and computers on standby power uses 11% of all Australian residential electricity.’ ‘Leakage current measurements are performed with the product energized and in all conditions, such as standby and full operation.’ ‘Microsoft is hoping the devices will have a 100 to 120 hours standby time.’ ‘It serves as a timely reminder, though, that I am very bad at leaving appliances - computer, CD players - on, or TV on standby, overnight or when I'm out.’ ‘A new chip promises to significantly reduce the power consumption of numerous consumer products and portable computing devices operating in standby mode.’ ‘Batteries will usually last at least 100 hours on standby and give around two hours talktime, but batteries that last for up to 15 days on standby and give ten hours talktime are available.’ ‘The rechargeable battery promises 200 minutes of talk time and 100 hours stand-by time.’ ‘Main standby offenders in Irish homes are TVs, video recorders, DVDs, video games, satellite decoders, stereo systems, PCs and microwave ovens.’ ‘The most popular ways of saving energy are often the most simple, such as turning off lights, not leaving the TV on standby, and encouraging their parents to fit energy-saving lightbulbs.’ ‘One nuclear power station is needed to feed the millions of electrical appliances left in standby mode around the UK every day.’ ‘America's televisions draw enough standby power each year to light 5 million homes.’ ‘It gave the country $1.4 billion in standby credit during the crisis.’ ‘They refused the country a further $1.3bn in standby loans, unless it balanced its budget for the year 2002.’ ‘But it was so heavily in debt by 2001 that it couldn't post standby letters of credit against customers' deposits on the ovens they were buying.’ ‘The board took the decision after completing the fourth review of Bulgaria's economic performance under the standby agreement.’ ‘The Executive Board also approved the second review of Bulgaria's economic performance under the standby credit.’ 2 The state of waiting to secure an unreserved place for a journey or performance, allocated on the basis of earliest availability.