stanchion
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to furnish with stanchions.
-
to secure by or to a stanchion or stanchions.
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of stanchion
1375–1425; late Middle English stanchon < Old French estanchon, equivalent to estanche (variant of estance, probably < Vulgar Latin *stantia, equivalent to Latin stant- (stem of stāns ), present participle of stāre to stand + -ia -y 3 ) + -on noun suffix
Explanation
A stanchion is a post or rod used to support something. Stanchions hold things up. You can almost see the word stand in stanchion, and that should help you remember what it means. A stanchion stands straight up, and it supports a larger structure. In just about any building, you will see posts going from the floor to the ceiling: those are stanchions. Stanchions are part of many walls too. If you took the stanchions out, the building might fall down. Stanchions always go up and down; they're vertical and provide support.
Vocabulary lists containing stanchion
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Heart of Darkness
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Class Matters
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s because it plans to run two lines simultaneously on either side of a new, shorter stanchion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
Teammate Aliyah Boston tried to console Clark as she walked to the basket stanchion and tapped her forehead against it before sitting down and covering her head with a towel.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2025
The debris was determined to be part of a stanchion used to mount batteries on a cargo pallet.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024
During red-zone drills, Wentz threw a dart into the back of the end zone, and Cole Turner dived for it, accidentally going headfirst into the field goal stanchion.
From Washington Post • Aug. 1, 2022
He sat on the top deck with his back against a stanchion and composed a letter to Hatsue.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
