student asking question

Why were two same expressions used here? I think "stand by" and "waiting" have the same meaning?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "stand by" in this context does not mean to "wait" but means to physically stay standing up in an area. So to "stand by waiting" means that someone stood in an area and waited. Ex: He stood by and waited for her to be done with her appointment. Ex: I'm always standing by waiting for my friend to hurry up.

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