sit back
Britishverb
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Relax, as in Now that the work's finished, we can just sit back .
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Refrain from interfering or taking part, as in Mom and Dad just sat back and watched Meg try to decide whether or not she should tell on her friends . [Mid-1900s] Also see sit by .
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.
I sit back, try to control my temper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Right now is a unique time for independent producers because we don’t have to sit back and wait for a studio,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
In an April 2015 interview shortly after Bumble's launch, Herd Wolfe told the Toronto Star it was a "stereotype to say women like to sit back and want men to come to them".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But we can do more than sit back and get bitten.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Do you really think I could sit back and say nothing?”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
