stand up for
verb1
To speak or act in support or defense of (a person, a cause, a belief, or the like).
- She stood up for me when no one else would, and I've never forgotten it.
- Those who don't stand up for their rights are apt to lose them.
3 more examples
- Though I disagreed with him, I respected him for standing up for what he believed in.
- 2000 December 3, J. Stewart Burns, Futurama, episode 32: “The Cryonic Woman”, Michelle: Quit standing up for yourself, Fry. When we get back to the hole we are going to have a long, boring talk about our relationship!
- Standing up for themselves is often difficult for girls from male-dominated cultures. Take Bahareh Husseini. She fled Iran and now lives in the German city of Düsseldorf. She wanted to study and be able determine her own path in life. In Germany, she found support at Diakonie, a Protestant social welfare organization. There, Jessica te Heesen heads the JUMP project, which helps refugee girls develop self-confidence, assert themselves, and find their way in school and at work. Bahareh is now studying medical physics — and passing on her experiences to others.2026 February 2, “Strong Women - The Fight for Self-Determination”, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 13 May 2026:
- Synonyms
- stick up for, defend
- Related terms
- stand up, stand up to, take a stand, break a lance