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.

backup

failover

Automatic backup system activation

restore · fallback · spare · replacement · alternate · understudy · substitute · reserve · secondary · contingency

waiting

hold

Maintain in grasp

suspense · queue · countdown · limbo · pending · idle · dormant · inactive · abeyance · deferral

ready

alert

Warning or watchfulness

primed · poised · activated · responsive · vigilant · mobilized · cocked · armed · prepped

travel

airport

Aviation passenger facility

passenger · boarding · waitlist · last-minute · seat · cancellation · voucher · gate · overbooking · no-show

Categories
Opposites
primary vs. backup status

standbyprimary

Chief in importance

main · principal · first choice · key · go-to

readiness vs. active deployment

standbyactive

In operation now

in use · deployed · operational · engaged · running

confirmed vs. unconfirmed status

standbyconfirmed

Established as accurate

guaranteed · reserved · booked · secured · ticketed

Phrases
Family

stand, standing, standard, understand, outstanding, withstand, bystander, stand-in, misunderstanding

Familiarity
Top 20,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G