stand by
English · Thesaurus
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stand by
- /ˌstændˈbaɪ̯/
- [ˌstændˈbaɪ̯]
- /ˌsteə̯ndˈbaɪ̯/ Canada, US
- /ˌstɛə̯ndˈbaɪ̯/ Canada, US
- /ˌstɛːndˈbɑ̟ɪ̯/ Australia
verb stands by · standing by · stood by
-
To wait in expectation of some event; to be ready.
Please stand by for more instructions.
Similar: hang on, stay, abide, back that train up, bide, bide one's time, expect, defer, hold on, hold one's breath, hold one's horses, hold one's water
-
To remain loyal or faithful to.
Even though money is scarce sometimes, Ann stands by her decision to be a full-time mother.
Similar: (UK, idiomatic) go to the wall for someone, keep faith, abide by, hold on, go to the wall for someone, stand by, stick by, stick with
-
To support; to continue to support despite things being bad.
They stood by us all along and it's awesome to see them out here to support us today.
Similar: uphold
-
To do nothing. To be inactive in a situation.
I can't simply stand by and watch you ruin your life.
Similar: lallygag, waste time, arse about, arse around, bludge, bum around, cabbage, clown around, dally, dawdle, dick about, dick around
Translations
Every language
verb to wait in expectation of some event
| Español | esperar |
|---|---|
| Português | esperar |
| Français | se tenir prêt |
| Русский | быть в ожида́нии bytʹ v ožidánii |
verb to remain loyal or faithful to (some decision etc.)
| Français | rester fidèle à, maintenir, s'en tenir à |
|---|---|
| Русский | стоя́ть за stojátʹ za |
verb to support someone
| Deutsch | beistehen |
|---|---|
| Русский | подде́рживать poddérživatʹ |
verb to do nothing; to be inactive in a situation
| 中文 | 袖手 xiùshǒu, 袖手旁觀 /袖手旁观 xiùshǒupángguān |
|---|---|
| Русский | безде́йствовать bezdéjstvovatʹ |
Talk about this word "stand by." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/stand%20by. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. stand by. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/stand%20by "stand by." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/stand%20by.Cite this
@misc{stand_by_2026,
title = {stand by},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/stand%20by},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
