Meanings
- idiomaticReady; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation.
The soldiers were at the ready.
5 more examples
The soldiers held their rifles at the ready and listened for the enemy.
Counselors remain at the ready to talk it over with you.
Officers are at the ready and awaiting commands.
The team is at the ready for your go-ahead.
Her apartment is filled with evidence of a furiously busy creative life: […] a laptop perched on a crate atop the dining table; lyric revisions in notebooks on a music stand by an ever-at-the-ready guitar.
2022 October 5, Michael Paulson, “Suzan-Lori Parks Is on Broadway, Off Broadway and Everywhere Else”, in The New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveready for immediate use
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan al peu del canó, a punt
- al peu del canóready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- a puntready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Chinese Mandarin 已準備好的 /已准备好的
- 已準備好的 /已准备好的 (yǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo de)ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Danish med parat/klar (genstand/våben)
- med parat/klar (genstand/våben)ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Finnish valmiina
- valmiinaready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
French en joue
- en joueready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Hungarian készenlétben
- készenlétbenready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Polish w gotowości, w pogotowiu
- w gotowościready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- w pogotowiuready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Portuguese aposto, a postos
- apostoready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- a postosready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- de prontidãoready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Romanian pregătit, la îndemână
- pregătitready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- la îndemânăready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Russian нагото́ве
- нагото́ве (nagotóve)ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Spanish a punto, al pie del cañón
- a puntoready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
- al pie del cañónready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Ukrainian напогото́ві
- напогото́ві (napohotóvi)ready; in a state of preparation or waiting; in position or anticipation
Cite this entry
at the ready. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20ready
“at the ready.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20ready. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at the ready,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20ready.
Source: at the ready on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.