stand by
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to be available and ready to act if needed or called upon
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(intr, adverb) to be present as an onlooker or without taking any action
he stood by at the accident
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(intr, preposition) to be faithful to
to stand by one's principles
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(tr, adverb) English law (of the Crown) to challenge (a juror) without needing to show cause
noun
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a person or thing that is ready for use or can be relied on in an emergency
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( as modifier )
stand-by provisions
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in a state of readiness for action or use
adjective
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Be ready or available to act, as in I'm almost ready for you to carve the turkey, so please stand by . [Mid-1200s]
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Wait for something to resume, as in We are all standing by until the power is restored . Also see on standby .
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Be present but remain uninvolved, refrain from acting, as in I can't stand by and see these kids shoplifting . [Late 1300s]
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Remain loyal, as in She's my friend and I'll stand by her, no matter what . [Early 1500s] Also see stick by .
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Adhere to, abide by, as in I'm going to stand by what I said yesterday . [Late 1300s]
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.
"We stand by the ICC and its officials, and we are committed to safeguarding its work," said Yannis Maniatis, a lawmaker with the centre-left S&D group, which backed the ICC nomination.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Rather than reassured, they will also be rightly skeptical of the first lady who continues to stand by his side.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
Burnham told Zelensky that Britain "would forever stand by you" and that he was accelerating the delivery of air defences to Ukraine.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Just as long as you stand by me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Some only stand by my bed and wait.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
