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
The emphasis here is on the setting - watching the early morning mist rising off the water, pre-breakfast game drives in the national park, afternoons exploring the river by boat, sitting by the fire at night, listening to hippos moving through the channels below camp.
—
Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
He's nearly moved to tears while sitting by her side in the hospital.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Simeon Woods Richardson sat by his locker, a pair of big headphones over his ears hours before Monday’s game was scheduled to start.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 18 May 2026
Just after his 10th birthday, William sat by the racetrack to watch the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 16 May 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.
Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
He's nearly moved to tears while sitting by her side in the hospital.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Simeon Woods Richardson sat by his locker, a pair of big headphones over his ears hours before Monday’s game was scheduled to start.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 18 May 2026
Just after his 10th birthday, William sat by the racetrack to watch the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 16 May 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 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
