sit (idly) by

sit (idly) by
sit (idly) by (and (do something)) to take no action.

I felt we simply couldn't sit by and see the peace process threatened.

We can't afford to sit idly by while dangerous people threaten our way of life.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • sit idly by — stand/sit/idly by phrase to see something bad happening without trying to prevent it The government was accused of standing idly by while unemployment soared. Thesaurus: to not act, or to not do somethingsynonym Main entry: idly …   Useful english dictionary

  • sit idly by and do something — sit (idly) by (and (do something)) to take no action. I felt we simply couldn t sit by and see the peace process threatened. We can t afford to sit idly by while dangerous people threaten our way of life …   New idioms dictionary

  • sit idly by and — sit (idly) by (and (do something)) to take no action. I felt we simply couldn t sit by and see the peace process threatened. We can t afford to sit idly by while dangerous people threaten our way of life …   New idioms dictionary

  • sit idly by — sit and watch or rest while others work He sat idly by all morning while the others worked hard …   Idioms and examples

  • sit by and do something — sit (idly) by (and (do something)) to take no action. I felt we simply couldn t sit by and see the peace process threatened. We can t afford to sit idly by while dangerous people threaten our way of life …   New idioms dictionary

  • sit by and — sit (idly) by (and (do something)) to take no action. I felt we simply couldn t sit by and see the peace process threatened. We can t afford to sit idly by while dangerous people threaten our way of life …   New idioms dictionary

  • sit — verb 1 on a chair, etc. ADVERB ▪ motionless, still ▪ Just sit still! ▪ quietly ▪ He would sit quietly and watch what was happening. ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • idly — i|dly [ aıdli ] adverb 1. ) without any real purpose or reason: She sat in the waiting room, flicking idly through a magazine. 2. ) without doing anything: I lay idly on the rocks. stand/sit idly by to see something bad happening without trying… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • idly — UK [ˈaɪdlɪ] / US adverb 1) without any real purpose or reason She sat in the waiting room, flicking idly through a magazine. 2) without doing anything I lay idly on the rocks. • stand/sit idly by to see something bad happening without trying to… …   English dictionary

  • sit by — verb be inactive or indifferent while something is happening (Freq. 1) Don t just sit by while your rights are violated! • Syn: ↑sit back • Hypernyms: ↑watch, ↑look on • Verb Frames …   Useful english dictionary

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