can stand by

Frequency: 5.02.8 per million words

to be able to watch something bad happen without doing anything

Categories:

Examples (10)

  • We cannot stand by and let this environmental destruction continue.
  • How can you stand by silently while your neighbors are struggling?
  • The international community cannot stand by as a genocide unfolds.
  • She swore she cannot stand by and allow such discrimination.
  • If we can just stand by and watch, we are complicit.
  • They believe no one can truly stand by when basic human rights are violated.
  • He asked himself, "How can I stand by and not intervene?"
  • I simply cannot stand by and witness such cruelty without speaking up.
  • The organization declared it cannot stand by while injustice prevails.
  • We were told we cannot stand by and let our principles be compromised.