sit by
verb
sat by; sitting by; sits by
: to make no effort to stop something bad or unpleasant from happening
I won't sit idly by while he ruins his life!
Examples of sit by in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While in the band, Knudson-Freeman was often found sitting by the drum set, her brother said.
—
Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 10 May 2026
The silver Chrysler Sebring glinted when the sun kissed the parking lot in Temple, Texas, sitting by its lonesome.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
While some fans admit to eating the whole cake in one sitting by themselves, the dessert is also a sweet way to wrap up an intimate dinner party with friends.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
The book sat by the owner’s bed.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sit by
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 10 May 2026
The silver Chrysler Sebring glinted when the sun kissed the parking lot in Temple, Texas, sitting by its lonesome.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
While some fans admit to eating the whole cake in one sitting by themselves, the dessert is also a sweet way to wrap up an intimate dinner party with friends.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
The book sat by the owner’s bed.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sit by
Cite this Entry
“Sit by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sit%20by. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
