stand aside

phrasal verb

stood aside; standing aside; stands aside
1
: to move to the left or right with one step or a few small steps
Please stand aside and let me pass.
2
: to allow something to happen : to not try to stop someone from doing something
I'm not going to stand aside and watch you ruin your life.

Examples of stand aside in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In his view, Moscow should have dug in, both within the union and abroad, instead of standing aside while former Soviet bloc states jumped ship to join the West. M. E. Sarotte, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021 Tuesday’s summit in Philadelphia is expected to be anything but that, as both parties have seen a jolt of adrenaline after Biden stood aside. Philip Elliott, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024 Jeffrey Katzenberg, the longtime Democratic donor and fundraiser, has evoked an image of Joe Biden as a Hollywood movie hero after the president decided to stand aside in the 2024 election. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 25 July 2024 Until his decision to stand aside for a new Democratic Party nominee, Biden seemed to be solving an ancient literary question: What would have happened if the King had not given up the throne? Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024 Given reports over the past few days indicating more pressure on Biden to stand aside, this pattern isn’t likely to change on the convention’s final night. Philip Bump, Washington Post, 18 July 2024 Congressional Democrats appear to still be moving full steam ahead with their calls for President Joe Biden to stand aside and allow a new leader to step up. Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 July 2024 On the other hand, the Saudis cannot be seen as standing aside (or worse yet, continuing to negotiate with Israel) as the Israelis pummel Palestinians in Gaza. F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2023 LeFleur began setting up a crime scene perimeter and instructed crew members to stand aside, the video shows. NBC News, 10 July 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stand aside.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near stand aside

Cite this Entry

“Stand aside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20aside. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!