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If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for stand pat to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns standpatter ("one who resists or opposes change") and standpattism ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts.
Examples of standpat in a Sentence
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
But Zito, always in win-now mode, isn’t one to stand pat if there is an opportunity to improve the roster.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
While traders and economists broadly expect the Fed to stand pat on Wednesday, the full-year outlook was more muddled.
—Lisa Kailai Han,brian Evans, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2025
Other than that, Minnesota has stood pat, and that includes the rotation.
—Law Murray, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for standpat
Cite this Entry
“Standpat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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stand pat
verb
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