Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stand on someone's shoulders

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.92 in modern English

Syllables: stand on -some-one's shoul-ders
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

24

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To build on the previous discoveries or creativity of someone.

Example Sentences

"What then can we say of the relevance of Classical languages and literature, Greek and Latin; what reason can we offer for the study of long dead languages. The answer is much in every way. For better or worse, we stand on the shoulders of the ancients, if not at their feet."
"On this day, as the world watches your sojourn here, / I ask with simple courtesy, “Have you looked within yourself?” / If you had, then you would know who you are / and that you stand on the shoulders of all your ancestors / who have prepared the path for your journey. / Look within, and then look forward. […]"

Etymology

Generalization of stand on the shoulders of giants.

Inflected Forms

stands on someone's shoulders (present, singular) standing on someone's shoulders (participle, present) stood on someone's shoulders (participle, past) stood on someone's shoulders (past)

Questions

What does stand on someone's shoulders mean?: To build on the previous discoveries or creativity of someone.
Where does stand on someone's shoulders come from?: Generalization of stand on the shoulders of giants.

How to pronounce stand on someone's shoulders

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