standby
Waiting in wings
Standby is a state of readiness—waiting to be called into action.
A standby generator activates when power fails.
Airline passengers on standby wait for unclaimed seats.
Electronic devices on standby aren't fully off but consume minimal power, ready to wake.
As an adjective, standby modifies things kept in reserve: standby mode, standby crew.
An old standby is something reliably useful: Chicken soup is an old standby when I'm sick.
Automatic backup system activation
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- restoreReturn to earlier state
fallback · spare · replacement · alternate · understudy · substitute · reserve · secondary
Maintain in grasp
- delayEnforced waiting period
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
queue · countdown · limbo · pending · idle · dormant · inactive · abeyance
Warning or watchfulness
- on-callAvailable when summoned
- preparedMade ready beforehand
- availableReady to be used
- primedMade ready beforehand
poised · activated · responsive · vigilant · mobilized · cocked · armed · prepped
Aviation passenger facility
- flightAerial journey by aircraft
- ticketEntry permit slip
- upgradeRaise to higher standard
- passengerTraveler, not operator
boarding · waitlist · last-minute · seat · cancellation · voucher · gate · overbooking
failover
Automatic backup system activation
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
restore · fallback · spare · replacement · alternate · understudy · substitute · reserve · secondary · contingency
hold
Maintain in grasp
- delayEnforced waiting period
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- anticipationState of awaiting something
suspense · queue · countdown · limbo · pending · idle · dormant · inactive · abeyance · deferral
alert
Warning or watchfulness
primed · poised · activated · responsive · vigilant · mobilized · cocked · armed · prepped
airport
Aviation passenger facility
passenger · boarding · waitlist · last-minute · seat · cancellation · voucher · gate · overbooking · no-show
- shutdownshut down, power down, power off, turn off, switch off
- emergency stagesacute phase, crisis, preparation, response, onset
- flight dataaltitude, logbook, airspeed, flight log, manifest
- power stateshibernate, suspend, deep sleep, idle, low power
- CPU statesidle, running, halted, ready, waiting
- Air Travelboarding, airline, flight attendants, takeoff, landing
standbyprimary
Chief in importance
main · principal · first choice · key · go-to
- stand upRise to feet
- standing upAssuming vertical posture
- stand outBe noticeably different
- can't standStrongly dislike, find intolerable
- stand byRemain ready to assist
- stand backWithdraw to safe distance
stand, standing, standard, understand, outstanding, withstand, bystander, stand-in, misunderstanding