to stand up for oneself
39
3.9
- phrasal verb
:
defenderse
- After being bullied for weeks, she finally decided to stand up for herself and speak out against the harassment.
Examples
-
You've always told me to stand up for myself.
-
Tisean, you have got to learn to stand up for yourself.
-
Are you gonna stand up for yourself?
-
- You gotta stand up for yourself, man.
-
You are the ones who are always telling me to stand up for myself.
-
As for me, I found the ability to stand up for myself and my friends.
-
You taught me how to stand up for myself, because you always stand up for yourself.
-
I'm proud of you for finally standing up for yourself.
-
I want her to be independent, to stand up for herself and her rights, and her beliefs.
Blog text (22) -
Maizell is ready to stand up for herself, but first she has to get her feet back on the ground!
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
256
2.7
Defend or support someone who is treated unfairly
220
3.4
To say your opinion or feelings openly even when it is difficult
135
3.1
Give your opinion clearly and firmly even when it is difficult
25
5.7
To keep your position when others disagree
6
6.0
Speak or act confidently so people notice and respect you
Antonyms
How Assertive
188
3.3
39
3.9
6
6.0
- Formal
7
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'stand' (hold/defend a position) combined with 'up' (an emphatic/completive particle), 'for' (in support of) and 'oneself' (reflexive) yields 'defend oneself'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reasonably infer this sense, and similar support/defense constructions exist cross-linguistically, making it immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
The phrasal verb stand up for oneself comes from the image of a person getting to their feet—stand up—to face someone who is being unfair. So, it means 'to defend yourself' or 'say what you need' when someone treats you badly.