STANDING BY Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

standing by

verb

present participle of stand by

as in keeping (to)

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

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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 standing by On social media, months of public posts by Richardson showed that Rudder had been standing by as Richardson coached his teams, sometimes literally. — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026 Hialeah Gardens police officers raced to the burglary 911 calls and found the two men standing by a pickup truck in the area of 8800 Northwest 116th Terrace. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026 The organizers of a plan aimed at making Pittsburgh's South Side safer are standing by their efforts. — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026 George and Amal Clooney are standing by their French community after evacuating their home as wildfires spread across parts of Europe. — Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 30 July 2026 The Catholic school is standing by its decision, saying the change followed a thorough review and was approved by both Jesuits West and the Diocese of Sacramento. — Chaewon Chung july 24, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 Kroger Kroger shares are off more than 7% in 2026, but analyst Robert Ohmes is standing by the grocery chain. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 27 June 2026 In many places, no one is standing by with a stopwatch to enforce the rule. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 Wolfson pointed to a recent TikTok video that captured Pontius standing by the roadside in the aftermath of a car wreck. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for standing by

defending

Verb

The new Indiana quarterback was a three-year starter at TCU and now takes over the defending champs.

— Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Clark, a second-round draft pick by the defending Super Bowl champions, was injured on Seattle’s first defensive snap in a 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

— Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Aug. 2026