Past Tense of Stand
The past tense of “stand” is “stood,” and “stood” is also the past participle. This irregular form applies across the ordinary verb senses of being upright or being in a position or state.
Use “stood” as both the past simple and past participle of “stand.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed past action or state | stood | Use “stood” as the simple past. |
| perfect construction after have/has/had | stood | Use “stood” as the past participle. |
| present/base form | stand / stands | Use the present form outside a past construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “stand”?
If yes: Use “stood.”
If no: Use “stand” or “stands” if the context is present rather than past.
Examples
He stood near the entrance.
“Stood” is the simple past.
They have stood in this queue for an hour.
“Stood” is the past participle after “have.”
She stands by the window each morning.
The habitual present uses “stands.”
Further guidance
Core difference
The verb changes from “stand” to “stood” for both past simple and past participle.
Fast Test
Use “stood” in “she stood” and “has stood.”
Usage Boundary
Do not form the standard past as *standed*.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- STAND — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct verb-form evidence that stood is both the past simple and past participle of stand.