stand up for

1. Also, stick up for. Side with, defend, as in Paul always stands up for what he thinks is right, or Ginny has learned to stick up for her family. The first recorded use of the first term is by Shakespeare in King Lear (1:2), when Edmund, Gloucester's bastard son, says: “Now gods, stand up for bastards!” The colloquial variant was first recorded in 1837.

Example Sentences

Two Margate women who were diagnosed with breast cancer are urging people to understand the symptoms and have the courage to stand up for themselves if their concerns have been disregarded by doctors.

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Now, weirdly, we all face this question of how we stand up for judges who may themselves feel as though Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett are going to flip a coin at the end of the day.

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No Kings was an important rallying point for those of us who want to stand up for democracy and the rule of law.

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No Kings was an important rallying point for those of us who want to stand up for democracy and the rule of law.

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Sharma says it's her mother who taught her to stand up for what's right.

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Related Words

• advocate 
• condone 
• confirm 
• countenance 
• defend 
• explain 
• favor 
• maintain 
• rationalize 
• support 
• sustain 
• uphold 
• validate 
• vindicate 
• warrant