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

Soon after, the driver — later identified as Coatie — and another passenger exit the car and stand by the trunk, the complaint states. — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 In the standard story, the United States, Britain, and France stood by, wringing their hands and straining for appeasement while the Japanese stampeded through Asia and Nazi Storm Troopers ran roughshod over Europe. — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Noun

Flight standby lets passengers try to take an earlier flight when an unassigned seat becomes available. — Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2026 But anyone returning to their old lunchtime standbys is likely to find a different kind of restaurant waiting for them — one that seemingly highlights everything on the menu except traditional salads. — Renée Onque, CNBC, 18 Aug. 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

Broadcaster, journalist, Today anchor and avid Wordle player Savannah Guthrie is set to host.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Meta needs its personal agent to be an anchor app for the company, which has been trailing competitors like OpenAI and Google in the red-hot AI market.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Oct. 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

The house and its grounds form the backbone of filming locations, though certain spaces on the property were either too cramped or did not provide the right lighting for film production.

— Juliet Izon, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026
The agency had to completely overhaul its outdated technological backbone, Patel told Fox News Digital.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of backbone

Verb

Amid the backlash, the White House has defended the television spots as public service announcements meant to educate voters and promote patriotism.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
In an earlier statement to TMZ, Seaver defended his messages to Nozell, saying they had been taken out of context.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of defend

Noun

What subsequent loads will their mainstay rotation players — like Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell — be forced to bear?

— Doug Haller, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Walmart has tapped collaboration mainstay Bimma Williams for a new initiative aiming to highlight rising design talent.

— Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of mainstay

Noun

Chinese tech giants DeepSeek and Huawei announced a partnership to develop semiconductor software, part of an array of efforts to reduce China’s reliance on US chipmakers and challenge American AI dominance.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
The long-term care industry's reliance on tranquilizing medications has been a concern of Congress for half a century.

— Jordan Rau, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of reliance

Noun

The officer stops at the pillar between the car’s windows, such that the driver must crane their neck backward to make eye contact and could only open fire awkwardly.

— Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
For generations, American streets and parks showcased the tall, stately pillars of rows and rows of elm trees.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of pillar

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standards

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standby

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“Stand by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stand%20by. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stand by

verb

noun

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