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.
I’m not somebody who’s well informed about the world of politics, I’m not the most eligible person, and I try to just stand by humanity — just the basic, fundamental facts that we all know.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“When there’s setbacks like this, you just wanna stand by him as close as you can and into this next phase on this detour to getting back onto the field.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
And he insisted that community stand by him even so.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2018
I touched the side of the coffin one last time and returned to stand by Raheem.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
