stand up to

Idioms and Phrases

Confront fearlessly, oppose boldly, as in You've got to stand up to the boss if you want him to respect you . [Early 1600s]

Example Sentences

They will feel unconstrained in expanding government secrecy and domestic surveillance and will not hesitate to fire career public service professionals who stand up to them and get in their way.

From Salon

“I love the way she was so ambitious, and I love the way she was assertive enough to stand up to her father and say no to the practice,” Ikeny says of the character’s battle against her forced marriage.

From Los Angeles Times

She promised voters she would have “the backbone to stand up to these kinds of assaults.”

From Slate

She pledged to stand by our allies, stand up to dictators and ensure that America had the world’s most lethal fighting force.

From Salon

"If they are not scared, if they are not losing that courage to stand up to the Taliban, we should learn from them and we should stand in solidarity with them."

From BBC

Related Words

• abide
• combat
• confront
• continue
• curb
• defy
• endure
• forgo
• maintain
• prevent
• refuse
• repel
• thwart
• turn down