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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Recent Examples of standing by
The South, which remains technically at war — the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty — with the North, isn’t standing by.
—
Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Then, at some point in the past week, Collegiate Consulting deleted the post standing by those figures.
—Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jason Lach said members of the CFD dive team would be standing by the whole time in dry suits with extra thermal layers.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
But the oil market is not as fragile as the headlines suggest, and OPEC+ is not standing by while the world burns.
—Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
After month of standing by Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon accepted his general counsel’s resignation last week.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
The portrait of the Prince and the trafficking victim—his hand on her waist; her heartbreaking smile—with Maxwell, the human factor, standing by, will always be the defining image of the Royal Family’s involvement in the Epstein case.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Holiday Inn Express is also standing by the free breakfast bar.
—Kevin Williams, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
The depiction of female shopkeepers and mothers, punctuated by women like me standing by concrete building blocks, underscores our importance as memory keepers within a society that has often needed rebuilding.
—Lara N. Dotson-Renta, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Then, at some point in the past week, Collegiate Consulting deleted the post standing by those figures.
—Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jason Lach said members of the CFD dive team would be standing by the whole time in dry suits with extra thermal layers.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
But the oil market is not as fragile as the headlines suggest, and OPEC+ is not standing by while the world burns.
—Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 1 Mar. 2026
After month of standing by Ruemmler, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon accepted his general counsel’s resignation last week.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
The portrait of the Prince and the trafficking victim—his hand on her waist; her heartbreaking smile—with Maxwell, the human factor, standing by, will always be the defining image of the Royal Family’s involvement in the Epstein case.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Holiday Inn Express is also standing by the free breakfast bar.
—Kevin Williams, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
The depiction of female shopkeepers and mothers, punctuated by women like me standing by concrete building blocks, underscores our importance as memory keepers within a society that has often needed rebuilding.
—Lara N. Dotson-Renta, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for standing by
defending
Verb
-
Venezuela’s bullpen, which was dominant in its quarterfinal upset over defending champion Japan on Saturday and its semifinal win against tournament darling Italy on Monday, picked up where Rodriguez left off.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Venezuela overcame a 2-0, fourth-inning deficit after rebounding from a three-run hole to beat defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal and reached the final for the first time after losing to South Korea in its only previous semifinal appearance in 2009.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Standing by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/standing%20by. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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