stand up to sb/sth
— phrasal verb with stand uk/stænd/us/stænd/verb stood, stood
C1 to defend yourself against a powerful person or organization when they treat you unfairly:
He wasn't afraid to stand up to bullies.
More examples
- Milly alone was brave enough to stand up to her.
- She's a bully and you've got to stand up to her.
- You've got to stand up to people like that.
- If you stand up to him he'll probably back down.
- She's not afraid to stand up to senior members of staff if she thinks they're wrong about something.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Responding to an attack
- beat
- beat sb off
- beat sb/sth back
- capitulate
- counterattack
- fend sb off
- fight
- fight back
- fight fire with fire idiom
- parry
- pull (sb/sth) out
- repel
- repulse
- resist
- resistance
- resistance
- retreat
- see sb off
- strike
- withdrawal
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