as in keeping (to)
to give steadfast support to
no matter how much people object, I will stand by my decision
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Recent Examples of standing by
Pottery Barn is standing by to support your soft life.
—
Emily Menez, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
An ambulance and paramedics were also standing by at the hotel.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
One video of the arrest showed police officers standing by and seemingly creating a barrier between the arrest and several bystanders, some of whom are asking immigrant agents for their badge numbers.
—Mathew Miranda
updated March 23, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump has overturned many long-standing public-policy commitments of conservatives—supporting free trade, reforming entitlements, supporting foreign assistance to save lives and advance American interests, standing by NATO, and standing against Russian oppression at home and aggression abroad.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Jessica Biel is standing by her husband Justin Timberlake, but not exactly pleased about what’s come to light about his 2024 arrest.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Mar. 2026
The South, which remains technically at war — the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty — with the North, isn’t standing by.
—Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
But the oil market is not as fragile as the headlines suggest, and OPEC+ is not standing by while the world burns.
—Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
After month of standing by Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon accepted his general counsel’s resignation last week.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Emily Menez, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
An ambulance and paramedics were also standing by at the hotel.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
One video of the arrest showed police officers standing by and seemingly creating a barrier between the arrest and several bystanders, some of whom are asking immigrant agents for their badge numbers.
—Mathew Miranda
updated March 23, Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump has overturned many long-standing public-policy commitments of conservatives—supporting free trade, reforming entitlements, supporting foreign assistance to save lives and advance American interests, standing by NATO, and standing against Russian oppression at home and aggression abroad.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Jessica Biel is standing by her husband Justin Timberlake, but not exactly pleased about what’s come to light about his 2024 arrest.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Mar. 2026
The South, which remains technically at war — the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty — with the North, isn’t standing by.
—Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
But the oil market is not as fragile as the headlines suggest, and OPEC+ is not standing by while the world burns.
—Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
After month of standing by Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon accepted his general counsel’s resignation last week.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standing by
defending
Verb
-
Keller stymies defending champ Coppell Claire Garritson scored the game-winning goal in the second half and Keller hung on to beat defending state champion Coppell 2-1 in the Class 6A Division 1 Region 1 Final on Tuesday night at Keller High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
During the 2002 World Cup, fans across Africa celebrated Senegal’s upset victory over defending champion France, its former colonizer, as a symbol of liberation.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standing by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standing%20by. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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