STAND BY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

stand by 1 of 2

verb

Definition of stand by

as in to keep (to)

to give steadfast support to no matter how much people object, I will stand by my decision

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

standby

2 of 2

noun

ˈstan(d)-ˌbī

as in anchor

something or someone to which one looks for support our old standby in times of trouble

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of stand by

Verb

The Hall of Famer also praised Cunningham for continuing to stand by her sentiments. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 The Pentagon later pushed for more access, arguing the military should have access to AI systems for any lawful national security purpose while Anthropic stood by its safety rules. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Noun

Pretoria responded to the threat of violence in June 30 protests with millions of dollars shuffled inside the police budget, tactical units deployed, and soldiers on standby. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 July 2026 Rocket Lab was supposed to have a satellite on standby to go up and inspect True Anomaly’s spacecraft, ready to launch on short notice once military officials gave the order. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stand by

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stand by

Verb

But as a rookie, Wilson doesn’t plan to abide by that hierarchy.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Courts still must abide by their precedents and these three legal pillars if a lawsuit hits their dockets.

— O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 22 June 2026

Definition of abide by

Noun

The disruption extended far beyond the classroom, leaving communities to absorb the loss of institutions that had long served as neighborhood anchors.

— Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Defensive tackles Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino return as anchors inside, while the Hoosiers also added Kansas State edge transfer Tobi Osunsanmi from the transfer portal.

— Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of anchor

Verb

Reese, Naz Hilman and Madina Okot were held to 28 points combined with Okot scoring 16 – mostly in the fourth quarter.

— Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
After scoring 14 runs to begin this four-game series, the Royals have been held to just five runs in their last 18 innings.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

Definition of hold to

Noun

While federal policy typically focuses on new construction or subsidized housing, NOAH owners are the backbone of our affordable housing ecosystem, accounting for 75% of affordable homes nationwide.

— Maggie Cassidy, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
Like building a giant erector set, Meir and Menon worked to assemble and bolt together the triangular brackets on the 3B power channel, located on the far right, or starboard (S6) segment of the station's backbone truss.

— Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of backbone

Verb

Skubal also issued two walks and hit a batter with a pitch in just his second career appearance at Dodger Stadium, taking the mound nine days after the defending champions acquired him from Detroit in the biggest trade of the deadline.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Asked about those changes and the growing scrutiny of the UFW's legacy, Huerta defended the organization's historic work on behalf of farmworkers while acknowledging the controversy surrounding Chavez.

— Darrielle Fair, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of defend

Noun

But on Sunday, every order at the San Fernando Valley mainstay was served with a side of heartbreak as the restaurant marked its final day of business.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Her feathery upper pitch, a mainstay on past records, is less constant.

— Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of mainstay

Noun

China has moved to bar companionship chatbots from encouraging emotional reliance, which means a regulator can decide that a relationship somebody depends on will stop existing.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Federal policymakers have added uranium to the US critical minerals list while taking steps to reduce reliance on Russian nuclear fuel and expand domestic conversion and enrichment capacity.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of reliance

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standby

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Style

“Stand by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stand%20by. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of stand by

verb

noun

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