stand-down

1 of 2

noun

ˈstan(d)-ˌdau̇n 

: a relaxation of status of a military unit or force from an alert or operational posture

stand down

2 of 2

verb

stood down; standing down; stands down

intransitive verb

1

: to leave the witness stand

2

chiefly British

a

: to go off duty

b

: to withdraw from a contest, a position of leadership, or a state of alert or readiness

transitive verb

: to remove from active duty

In December of 1944, it was judged safe to stand down the Home Guard … after four and a half years of guarding Britain against invasion.

—Anthony Bailey

Examples of stand-down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Friday, the Army announced a temporary stand-down of AH64 Apache training flight operations. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026

The union said Monday marked Day 4 of the safety stand-down, including refresher training for drivers and engaging with outside experts. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Verb

Their demands for records mirror a New Mexico lawsuit and whistleblower claims that agents were ordered to stand down instead of seizing hundreds of thousands of lethal pills. — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

In 2022, his daughter Princess Märtha Louise stood down from her royal duties. — James Frater, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1651, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for stand-down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown