make a stand
Refuse to yield
To make a stand is to hold your ground against opposition or take a firm position on a matter of principle.
The phrase suggests deliberate resistance rather than retreat: She decided to make a stand against the proposed cuts.
Originally military—troops making a stand would stop retreating and fight—the phrase now applies to any situation where someone refuses to yield: It's time to make a stand for what we believe in.
Oppose or refuse compliance
- opposeAct against something
- confrontFace squarely, address directly
- challengeTest of ability
- refuseReject or garbage
rebel · dissent · defy · reject · disobey · repudiate · dispute · contradict
Foundational moral beliefs
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- courageFortitude facing danger
- resolveFirmness of purpose
- determinationFirmness of purpose
backbone · conscience · fortitude · steadfastness · commitment · tenacity · perseverance · willpower
resist
Oppose or refuse compliance
refuse · rebel · dissent · defy · reject · disobey · repudiate · dispute · contradict · flout
principles
Foundational moral beliefs
determination · backbone · conscience · fortitude · steadfastness · commitment · tenacity · perseverance · willpower · firmness
demonstration
Public display of opinion
boycott · sit-in · petition · activism · vigil · strike · civil disobedience · blockade · banner · placard
- Stand Uphold firm, face up to, push back, fight back, speak up
- protest sloganssi se puede, enough is enough, rise up, resist, ban the bomb
make a standsurrender
Cease resistance, yield
capitulate · give in · yield · give up · cave in
make a standsit on the fence
Avoid committing either way
do nothing · waffle · hedge · equivocate · vacillate
make, stand, standing, made, understand, maker, making, understanding, stood