stand by

Verb

stand by (third-person singular simple present stands by, present participle standing by, simple past and past participle stood by)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To wait in expectation of some event; to be ready.
   • Please stand by for more instructions.
   • 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, hold on, hold one's breath

2. (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.
   • [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, go to the wall for someone, stick by, stick with

3. (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.

   Synonyms:

   uphold

4. (intransitive) To 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, dally, dawdle