Meanings
prepositional phrase
- lawTestifying at a trial; speaking as a witness during a court case.
- Synonym of on the spot (“having to answer or decide without warning or preparation”).
What’s the last great book you read?¶ Goodness. You do put a chap on the stand, don’t you!
2025 June 19, Scott Heller, quoting Stephen Fry, “Stephen Fry Knows He’s Become a Middle-Aged Cliché”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Jun 2025Synonyms: on the spot
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseSynonym of on the spot (“having to answer or decide without warning or preparation”).
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Cite this entry
APA
on the stand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20stand
MLA
“on the stand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20stand. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the stand,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20stand.
Source: on the stand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.