stand one's ground

stand (one's) ground

1. To brace oneself and maintain one's position during or when anticipating an attack. The other team's offense was incredibly aggressive, but our defense stood their ground. Despite the guy's size, I managed to stand my ground during the fight.2. To refuse to yield, compromise, or be belittled; to stand up against an attack or insult. The boss scoffed at her idea initially, but she stood her ground and explained it in greater detail. He kept offering me less money, but I stood my ground and got the full asking price.See also: ground, stand

stand one's ground

Also, hold one's ground; stand fast. Be firm or unyielding, as in You've got to respect him for standing his ground when all the others disagree, or I'm going to hold my ground on this issue, or No matter how he votes, I'm standing fast. This idiom, dating from the early 1600s, originally was applied to an army holding its territory against the enemy, but was being used figuratively as well by the end of the 1600s. See also: ground, stand

stand one's ground, to

To hold to one’s position; to refuse to give in. This expression comes from the military, where from about 1700 it was used in the sense of holding one’s position. Figuratively it was used from the early nineteenth century on. J. S. Mill had it in On Liberty (1859): “It is not easy to see how it [individuality] can stand its ground.”See also: stand