stand by
/ˌsteə̯ndˈbaɪ̯/ verb
Forms stands by standing by stood by
- verb (idiomatic, intransitive) To wait in expectation of some event; to be ready. “Please stand by for more instructions.”
- verb (idiomatic, transitive) To remain loyal or faithful to. “Even though money is scarce sometimes, Ann stands by her decision to be a full-time mother.”
- verb (idiomatic, transitive) To 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.”
- verb (intransitive) To do nothing. To be inactive in a situation. “I can't simply stand by and watch you ruin your life.”
Synonyms
hang on stay abide back that train up bide bide one's time expect defer hold on hold one's breath hold one's horses hold one's water hold out mark time twiddle one's thumbs wait (UK, idiomatic) go to the wall for someone keep faith abide by go to the wall for someone stick around stick about stick by stick adhere
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “stand by”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details