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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.
Synonyms
Examples of standpat in a Sentence
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2024
Simply standing pat during the offseason won’t get them past teams like the Mets and Braves, who are ahead of them in the wild card standings, let alone in-division rival Brewers.
—Jared Wyllys, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
Asia-Pacific markets extended momentum from Wall Street and moved higher during Friday’s session, after both the Bank of Japan and the People’s Bank of China also stood pat on rates.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024
Rather than stand pat and add another young prospect to pair with Wembanyama, Castle and Devin Vassell, the Spurs traded it to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 2030 first-round pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Standpat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standpat. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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stand pat
verb
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