STANDING

(PERMANENT) [adjective] [before noun; not gradable] - permanent, rather than formed or created when necessarya standing committeeYou know you have a standing invitation to come and stay anytime you're in town.See also standing at stand (VERTICAL).(UK) A standing order is an instruction to a bank to pay a particular amount of money at regular times from a person's bank account to another bank account.Compare direct debit at direct (STRAIGHT).A standing joke is something which a particular group of people are familiar with and laugh about often, esp. in an unkind way.The fact that Debbie is always late has become a standing joke among her friends.After losing the court case the company became something of a standing joke in the business world.