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

That pair — alongside Alejandro Kirk, who is under contract through 2030 — are the backbone of this team.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Millions of households that once formed the backbone of linear TV reach are no longer reachable through traditional cable buys.

— Kris Qiu, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of backbone

Verb

Kilaru and Kessler are now working together to defend one client while simultaneously opposing each other in ongoing litigation over the House settlement.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Bowdon coach Jamie Abrams, whose team is the defending Class A Division II champion.

— Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of defend

Noun

Skall Studio is a mainstay on the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule, best known for its billowing cotton prairie dresses, chic linen suits, and cozy woolen sweaters.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2026
And Ryan went on to be a mainstay in the Minnesota rotation with two All-Star appearances.

— John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of mainstay

Noun

These failures stemmed not from new vulnerabilities, but from basic security flaws like weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints, and reliance on assumptions over robust controls.

— Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Together, the projects will add eight new nuclear power generating units, according to media reports, as China continues to increase its reliance on nuclear energy as part of its broader energy strategy.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of reliance

Noun

The cues are on the pillar next to the transformer pool table.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Dior’s men’s fragrance business revolves around two modern pillars—Sauvage and Homme—and the prolific Kurkdjian thinks about the two pillars as neighboring territories.

— Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of pillar

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“Stand by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stand%20by. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of stand by

verb

noun

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