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.
    Synonyms: square off, square up
  2. (transitive, intransitive) To withdraw or retire from a position or from a team.
    Synonyms: stand aside, step down
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