grandstand

[ gran-stand, grand- ]
See synonyms for grandstand on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the main seating area of a stadium, racetrack, parade route, or the like, usually consisting of tiers with rows of individual seats.

  2. the people sitting in these seats.

verb (used without object),grand·stand·ed, grand·stand·ing.
  1. to conduct oneself or perform showily or ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers: The senator doesn't hesitate to grandstand if it makes her point.

adjective
  1. situated in a grandstand: grandstand seats.

  2. having a vantage point resembling that of a grandstand: From our office windows on the third floor, we had a grandstand view of the parade.

  1. intended to impress an onlooker or onlookers: a grandstand catch.

Origin of grandstand

1
First recorded in 1915–20; grand + stand

Other words from grandstand

  • grand·stand·er, noun

Words Nearby grandstand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grandstand in a sentence

  • In front of the grandstand stretched a wide, green field, enclosed with a low fence.

  • Meanwhile Tom, on the grandstand, was seeing them, and being very proud of his relationship to the Ship o the Fiend.

    Winona of the Camp Fire | Margaret Widdemer
  • In the grandstand a group of girls and boys belonging to Riverport had gathered early, having seats adjacent.

    Fred Fenton on the Track | Allen Chapman
  • They were in the grandstand, each willing and glad to forget, for the moment, just how weirdly wonderful life was.

    Bunker Bean | Harry Leon Wilson
  • A hush fell over the grandstand as the home players took their places on the diamond.

    Mystery Wings | Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for grandstand

grandstand

/ (ˈɡrænˌstænd, ˈɡrænd-) /


noun
    • a terraced block of seats, usually under a roof, commanding the best view at racecourses, football pitches, etc

    • (as modifier): grandstand tickets

  1. the spectators in a grandstand

  1. (modifier) as if from a grandstand; unimpeded (esp in the phrase grandstand view)

verb
  1. (intr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to behave ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers

Derived forms of grandstand

  • grandstander, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012