stand one's ground

stand one's ground

1. (idiomatic) To maintain or stick by an opinion or position; to remain resolute in the face of opposition.

   They expect their opponents to stand their ground on the issue.

2. To hold a position in battle.
   • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “History of England, Before the Restoration”, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume I, copyright edition, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, page 41:

     It soon appears that peasants and burghers, however brave, are unable to stand their ground against veteran soldiers, whose whole life is a preparation for the day of battle, whose nerves have been braced by long familiarity with danger, and whose movements have all the precision of clockwork.

• hold one's ground

• See also Thesaurus:obstinacy