stand down

See also: stand-down and standdown

English

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Verb

stand down (third-person singular simple present stands down, present participle standing down, simple past and past participle stood down)

  1. (idiomatic) To wait; to stop pursuing, stop fighting, or relax from a heightened readiness posture.
    They ordered the troops to stand down for the moment.
    Antonyms: square off, square up
  2. (transitive, intransitive) To withdraw or retire from a position or from a team.
    • 2023 November 29, “Last remaining DB Cargo Class 60s face final workings in December”, in RAIL, number 997, page 19:
      The remaining four locomotives in traffic […] are all expected to be stood down due to their high engine hours, as well as being due exams which the company is not prepared to undertake.
    Synonyms: stand aside, step down
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