Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

stand up for

Idioms  

  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

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

But after working in marketing for more than two decades, I am ready to stand up for corporate jargon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

But Jaeger said that the strike on Friday has already demonstrated "how determined they are to stand up for their working conditions".

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

“I have to learn to stand up for myself now. I am done being bullied by anyone.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

"Maybe that's the price you pay for speaking up and using your platform but I think it's important to say what you feel and stand up for justice," Kenworthy said.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

“Shayla, I just wanted to let you know I’m proud of you. It takes courage to stand up for what’s right.”

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Definitions 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.