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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
Tashan Reed, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pointed to the administration’s on-again-off-again tariffs while explaining why the central bank is opting to stand pat rather than cut its benchmark interest rates now.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 20 Mar. 2025
The organization apparently decided that removing Hyde now was better than standing pat through the summer.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
Perhaps that was a contributing factor in the Fed’s decision on May 7th to stand pat on rates.
—Robert Barone, Forbes.com, 13 May 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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stand pat
verb
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