stand by

present singular third person stands by · participle present standing by · participle past stood by · past stood by

1. idiomaticintransitiveTo wait in expectation of some event; to be ready.

   Please stand by for more instructions.

   1 more example

   It had been his intention to go to Wimbledon, but as he himself said: “Why be blooming well frizzled when you can hear all the results over the wireless.[…]You stand by, Janet, and wake me up if they do any of that running commentary stuff.”

   1935, George Goodchild, chapter 3, in Death on the Centre Court

   Synonyms: hang on, stay, abide, back that train up, bide, bide one's time, expect, defer

2. idiomatictransitiveTo remain loyal or faithful to.

   Even though money is scarce sometimes, Ann stands by her decision to be a full-time mother.

   1 more example

   [W]hen a Hamas spokesman recently stood by his statement that Jews used the blood of non-Jewish children for their matzos – one of the oldest anti-Semitic canards around – European elites were largely silent.

   2014 August 20, “Why Jews are worried [print version: International New York Times, 22 August 2014, p. 8]”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms: (UK, idiomatic) go to the wall for someone, keep faith, abide by, hold on, keep faith, go to the wall for someone, stick by, stick with

3. idiomatictransitiveTo support; to continue to support despite things being bad.

   They stood by us all along and it's awesome to see them out here to support us today.

   Synonyms: uphold

4. intransitiveTo do nothing. To be inactive in a situation.

   I can't simply stand by and watch you ruin your life.

   Synonyms: lallygag, waste time, arse about, arse around, bludge, bum around, cabbage, clown around