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

Former Rep. Katie Porter noted she served a purple Orange County district and won support from voters of all stripes “because they knew I wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for anyone — no matter to what party they belong — who makes life harder for California families.”

From Los Angeles Times

Still, Del Toro knows there’s a time and place to boast: At the film’s Toronto premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre, he playfully accused his local below-the-line crew of being too humble and made them stand up for applause.

From Los Angeles Times

I think it has now fallen on these younger judges, like Burroughs, to stand up and defend colleagues who are temperamentally disinclined to stand up for themselves.

From Slate

However, he’s shown us how little he cares to make things right by cutting spending on health insurance, schools, farm subsidies and so much more, while attacking the working poor and those who stand up for them.

From Salon

Since the president’s second inauguration, millions of Americans have turned out to stand up for fired federal workers, women and LGBTQ+ people, as well as immigrants and people of color who have been the focus of ICE raids and extrajudicial detentions.

From Salon

Related Words

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