Synonyms

stand up for

Idioms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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stand up for

"We all need to do more to tackle antisemitism," Miliband said, "But I believe we can do that and stand up for British values."

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Those who stand up for their ideals and principles without compromise, and seek to communicate them clearly, certainly won’t win every election, and they may well suffer for their convictions.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

"Every person should be able to live without fear, to love and to stand up for their rights," she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

“You have an adult population now who says: ‘I am going to stand up for myself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The Colonel laughed again, and I wondered why he wouldn’t stand up for his girlfriend.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

stand up for

Example Sentences

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