Stand by means to support someone and not abandon them in hard times: stand by a friend. The second meaning is to be ready and waiting for a signal to act at once, as doctors, rescuers or support teams do. The related noun is standby: be on standby means to be ready and waiting to be called on.
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stand by + person (through + hard times); stand by (= be ready); be standing by + in case…/to + verb; be on standby
- A good manager stands by the team when a project goes wrong.
- Her family stood by her through a long and difficult illness.
- Two nurses were standing by in case anyone felt unwell during the race.
What changed
First versionWhen I lost my job, my friends stood for me and helped me find a new one.
RevisionWhen I lost my job, my friends stood by me and helped me find a new one.
Stand for can look right here, but it means to represent something (What does UN stand for?) or to support an idea or principle. Supporting a person through a hard time is stand by: stood by me.
Stand without a particle, usually in the negative, means to tolerate: I can't stand loud music. Stand up for someone means to defend them in words when they're criticised: She stood up for me at the meeting. Stand by means staying on someone's side and not abandoning them.
Your turn
My brother and I argue a lot, but I'll always ___ him when things go wrong.
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stand by — You're promising to be on your brother's side when things go wrong: that's stand by him. Stand without a particle means to tolerate and almost always appears in the negative: I can't stand him. It doesn't go with a promise of support.
Think of someone who supported you at a difficult time. Use stand by, describe the situation and say exactly how they helped.
When I moved to a new city and felt lonely, my old school friend stood by me and called me every evening.
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