stand aside
phrasal verb
stood aside; standing aside; stands aside
1
: to move to the left or right with one step or a few small steps
Please stand aside and let me pass.
2
: to allow something to happen : to not try to stop someone from doing something
I'm not going to stand aside and watch you ruin your life.
Examples of stand aside in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The owner, Johnson Wheatley, opened the door and stood aside, hand still on the doorknob.
—
Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
And stand aside, Adult Bobby, because G.H. has returned as a teen to give Hank another opportunity to pull out his most famous catchphrase.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
There's an outside chance that Kirk realized his first officer was a threat to his own infamously prolific love life, and ordered him to stand aside.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 31 July 2025
Then senators took over the debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside.
—Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 30 June 2025
The decision by the two-term senator to stand aside also marks the latest in a string of more moderate members departing the upper chamber, a dynamic Tillis referenced in his statement.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 29 June 2025
Then along come two politicians who’ve both been arrested for refusing to stand aside as state power harms people.
—Steven W. Thrasher
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Later in life, these experiences gave him the ability to stand aside and let others talk, a valuable attribute for a writer.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
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Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
And stand aside, Adult Bobby, because G.H. has returned as a teen to give Hank another opportunity to pull out his most famous catchphrase.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
There's an outside chance that Kirk realized his first officer was a threat to his own infamously prolific love life, and ordered him to stand aside.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 31 July 2025
Then senators took over the debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside.
—Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 30 June 2025
The decision by the two-term senator to stand aside also marks the latest in a string of more moderate members departing the upper chamber, a dynamic Tillis referenced in his statement.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 29 June 2025
Then along come two politicians who’ve both been arrested for refusing to stand aside as state power harms people.
—Steven W. Thrasher
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Later in life, these experiences gave him the ability to stand aside and let others talk, a valuable attribute for a writer.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stand aside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20aside. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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