sit by
phrasal verb
sat by; sitting by; sits by
: to make no effort to stop something bad or unpleasant from happening
I won't sit idly by while he ruins his life!
Examples of sit by in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the book, Nica sits by a comatose Rigel's side for months, telling him stories and attempting to rouse him.
—
Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
On vacation, this can look like sitting by the pool at a tropical resort or hiking in the desert where sweating and exposure to chlorine or saltwater is imminent.
—Shelby Hyde, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Wilson comes to this Persian restaurant every year to celebrate his birthday, a nod to the heritage of his wife, Mahin, sitting by his side.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
The camera zooms in to get a better view of the scooter, which sits by its lonesome in the parking spot.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
When Ohtani faced reporters Monday for the first time since the Mizuhara scandal broke, Ireton sat by his side, carefully jotting down the two-time American League most valuable player’s words and translating them into English.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Brown said police sat by the RV for half a day waiting to see if anyone tried to drive it, before taking it to impound.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
As Taylor explains, the idea came from the famous 1996 Pink Floyd promo poster shot by Tony May featuring six naked women sitting by a pool, their backs painted with the band’s cover art.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024
In the dining room, red paper lanterns hang above, and a faux cherry blossom tree sits by the entrance.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
On vacation, this can look like sitting by the pool at a tropical resort or hiking in the desert where sweating and exposure to chlorine or saltwater is imminent.
—Shelby Hyde, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Wilson comes to this Persian restaurant every year to celebrate his birthday, a nod to the heritage of his wife, Mahin, sitting by his side.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
The camera zooms in to get a better view of the scooter, which sits by its lonesome in the parking spot.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
When Ohtani faced reporters Monday for the first time since the Mizuhara scandal broke, Ireton sat by his side, carefully jotting down the two-time American League most valuable player’s words and translating them into English.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Brown said police sat by the RV for half a day waiting to see if anyone tried to drive it, before taking it to impound.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
As Taylor explains, the idea came from the famous 1996 Pink Floyd promo poster shot by Tony May featuring six naked women sitting by a pool, their backs painted with the band’s cover art.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024
In the dining room, red paper lanterns hang above, and a faux cherry blossom tree sits by the entrance.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sit by.' 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 sit by
Cite this Entry
“Sit by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sit%20by. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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