sit idly by

sit (idly) by

To stand aside and refrain from acting or intervening. They may not have broken the law themselves, but the CEOs certainly sat by and allowed these illegal activities to happen unchecked. I feel so guilty for sitting idly by while my son was going through such a difficult time in his life.

See also: by, sit

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

sit idly by

 and stand idly by

to remain close, doing nothing to help. I do not intend to stand idly by while my children need my help. The wealthy man sat idly by while the poor people starved.

See also: by, idly, sit

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.