staunch
/stɔːn(t)ʃ/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/stoːn(t)ʃ/
staunch adjective: not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight. Also the alternative spelling of stanch.
Adjective
staunch (comparative stauncher, superlative staunchest)
- Not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight.
- Yet if I knevv, / VVhat Hoope ſhould hold vs ſtaunch from edge to edge / Ath'vvorld [of the world]: I vvould perſue it.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- Our Proviſions held out vvell, our Ship vvas ſtaunch, and our Crevv all in good Health; but vve lay in the utmoſt diſtreſs for VVater.1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Great Storm Described, the Long-Boat Sent to Fetch Water, the Author Goes with It to Discover the Country. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the...
- Impermeable to air or other gases; airtight.
- [T]vvas very difficult to procure a Bladder ſmall and fine enough for that litle Cylinder; and that one, vvhich at length vve procured, vvould not continue ſtanch for many Tryals, but vvould after a vvhile part vvith a litle Air in the vvell exhauſted Receiver, vvhen tvvas clog'd vvith the utmoſt...1669, Robert Boyle, “Experiment XLVII. About an Attempt Made to Measure the Force of the Spring of Included Air, and Examine a Conjecture about the Difference of Its Strength in Unequally Broad...
- Strongly built; also, in good or strong condition.
- Hovv goodly, and hovv to be vviſht vvere ſuch an obedient unanimity as this, vvhat a fine conformity vvould it ſtarch us all into? doubtles a ſtanch and ſolid peece of frame-vvork, as any January could freeze together.1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 27
- [T]he house a stanch good old building, and what was singular, some of the roomes floor'd dove-tail-wise without a nail, exactly close. One of the closetts is parquetted with plaine deale, set in diamond, exceeding stanch and pretty.1679 August 1 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 23 July 1679]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I...
- Staying true to one's aims or principles; firm, resolute, unswerving.
- Without our staunch front line the enemy would have split the regiment.
- VVe may commend / A Gentlemans modeſty, manners, and fine language, / […] / Yet, though he obſerue, and vvaſte his ſtate vpon vs, / If he be ſtanch and bid not for the ſtocke / That vve vvere borne to traffick vvith; the truth is / VVe care not for his company.1624, Phillip [i.e., Philip] Massinger, The Bond-man: An Antient Storie. […], London: […] Edw[ard] Allde, for Iohn Harison and Edward Blackmore, […], →OCLC, Act I, scene iii, signature [B4], recto
- Synonyms:
- constant, determined, persistent, steadfast, unwavering, unyielding, unswerving
- Dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy.
- He’s been a staunch supporter of mine through every election.
- [T]here ain't a stauncher-hearted gal going, or I'd have cut her throat three months ago.1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “A Strange Interview, Which Is a Sequel to the Last Chapter”, in Oliver Twist; […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 49
- Of a hunting dog: that can be depended on to pick up the scent of, or to mark, game.
- [T]he horſemen & huntſmen ſhould blemiſh at ſuch places as they ſee the Hart enter into a thicket or couert to the end that if the hounds fall to change, they may return to thoſe blemiſhes, and put their hounds to the right ſlot and view, vntill they haue rowzed or found him againe with their...1575, Jacques du Fouilloux, “Certaine Observations and Subtleties to be Used by Huntsmen in Hunting an Hart at Force”, in George Gascoigne, transl., The Noble Art of Venerie or Hunting. […], London...
- For, scarce a spear's length from his haunch, / Vindictive toiled the blood-hounds staunch; […]1810, Walter Scott, “Canto I. The Chase.”, in The Lady of the Lake; […], Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for John Ballantyne and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William...
- Cautious, restrained.
- It is good to be very ſtaunch and cautious of talking about other Men and their Concernments, in vvay of paſſing Characters on them, or deſcanting upon their Proceedings for vvant of other Diſcourse: This is the common refuge of Idleneſs, and the practice of fidling Goſſips, vvho becauſe they vvill...a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “The Ninth Sermon. 1 Thess[alonians] 4. 11.”, in Several Sermons against Evil-Speaking, London: […] Brabazon Aylmer, […], published 1678, →OCLC, page 105
- Synonyms:
- guarded
- Stubborn, intransigent.
- Synonyms:
- adamant, ardent, grim, untiring, bent on, bloody-minded, bullheaded, certain, chronic, confirmed
- Antonyms:
- compromising, transigent
Noun
staunch (plural staunches)
Also used as
staunch is also the alternative spelling of stanch.
staunch meaning in Malay
staunch in Malay
- dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy — see also dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy, ardent, unconditional, faithful
- akrab, karib
Examples of staunch in a sentence
- And you are ſtaunch indeed in learning's cauſe, / If you can crovvn a diſcipline that dravvs / Such miſchiefs after it, vvith much applauſe.1785, William Cowper, “Tirocinium: Or, A Review of Schools”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC, page 319:
- They seemed completely satiated with the vengeance they had prosecuted with such staunch and sagacious activity.1818 July 25, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of...
- It is therefore probable that De la Marck might have effected his escape, […] but for the staunch pursuit of Quentin, his uncle Le Balafré, and some of his comrades.1823, [Walter Scott], “The Sally”, in Quentin Durward. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable...
- He was staunch, however, to church and king, and full of old-fashioned prejudices.1824, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Buckthorne, or The Young Man of Great Expectations”, in Tales of a Traveller, part 1...
Synonyms of staunch
- hermetically sealed
- constant
- determined
- persistent
- steadfast
- unwavering
- unyielding
- unswerving
- guarded
- adamant
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- ardent
- grim
- untiring
- bent on
- bloody-minded
- bullheaded
- certain
- chronic
- confirmed
- diehard
- dogged
- hard-hearted
- hard-nosed
- hardheaded
- headstrong
- immovable
- incalcitrant
- inflexible
- insistent
- intractable
- intransigent
- intrepid
- inveterate
- mulish
- obdurate
- obstinate
- obstreperous
- peremptory
- pertinacious
- pigheaded
Antonyms
Forms of staunch
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | stauncher |
| superlative | staunchest |
| alternative form (archaic) | stanch |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | staunches |
| present participle | staunching |
| past participle | staunched |
| past | staunched |
| Noun | |
| plural | staunches |
Origin of staunch
From Middle English staunch, staunche (“(adjective) in good condition or repair; solidly made, firm; watertight; of a person or wound: not bleeding; certain; intact; (adverb) firmly, soundly”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman estaunche, Old French estanche (“firm; watertight”) (modern French étanche (“airtight; watertight”)), a variant of estanc (“a pond”), from estanchier (“to stop the flow of a liquid (blood, water, etc.); to make (something) watertight; to quench (thirst)”) (modern French étancher), possibly from one of the following: * From Vulgar Latin *stagnicāre, from Latin stāgnum (“piece of standing water, pond; fen, swamp”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂g- (“to drip; to seep”). * From Vulgar Latin *stānticāre, from *stānticus (“tired”), from Latin stāns, stāntis (“standing; remaining, staying”). Stāns is the present active participle of stō (“to stand; to remain, stay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”). Cognates * Italian stanco (“bored; tired”) * Portuguese estanque (“watertight”) * Romansh staunza (“a room”) * Spanish estanco (“closed, sealed; airtight; watertight”)
From Middle English staunchen, staunche (“to stop the flow of blood, diarrhoea, or other bodily fluids; to alleviate, ease; to appease, assuage, satisfy; to cure; to overcome; to put an end to; to repress, suppress; of a river or stream: to stop flowing; of waters, wind, or weather: to become calm, subside; to extinguish or put out (a fire)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman estauncher, estaunchier, estanger, Old French estancher, estanchier (verb) [and other forms]; see further at etymology 1 and at stanch.
Either: * from Middle English staunche, stanche (“something which stops the flow of blood; (figuratively) shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)”), from Old French estanche (“pond; tank”), from estanc (“pond”) (modern French étang (“pond; lagoon”)), from estanchier (verb): see further at etymology 2; and/or * derived directly from the verb.
Words formed from staunch
Words that rhyme with staunch
Questions about staunch
- What does staunch mean?
- Staunch means not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight.
- What is staunch in Malay?
- Staunch in Malay is akrab, karib. See Staunch meaning in Malay.
- How do you use staunch in a sentence?
- And you are ſtaunch indeed in learning's cauſe, / If you can crovvn a diſcipline that dravvs / Such miſchiefs after it, vvith much applauſe.
- What part of speech is staunch?
- Staunch can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce staunch?
- Staunch is pronounced /stɔːn(t)ʃ/ (UK).
Words near staunch in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: staunch (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-staunch.wav.
Cite this entry: “staunch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/staunch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.