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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 There were no signs marking the farm, but Marris turned down a dirt road and spotted its 23-year-old owner, Courtney Baker, with long blond hair and a tan, standing by a metal gate near a white pickup truck. — CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 Johnson handed the unconscious dog to the team standing by with an animal oxygen mask. — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 Video captured from the drone’s perspective and released on Facebook, shows the frustrated bobcat standing by a staircase, growling and arching its back at the hovering machine. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026 Andrew Garfield is standing by his longtime belief that Spider-Man could be gay. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Ochoa was known to flaunt his success on social media, including posts of him riding jet skis and standing by his black Corvette. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for standing by

defending

Verb

Over the years, the town was a major post for government forces defending Taiz.

— AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Much of the discussion surrounding this week’s game centers around how the Georgia defense will go about defending Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell.

— Connor Riley, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026