stand back
phrasal verb
stood back; standing back; stands back
1
: to take a few steps backwards
The paramedics told the crowd to stand back.
2
: to stop doing something or being actively involved in something for a time in order to think about it and make decisions in a calm and reasonable way
It's time to stand back and take a long hard look at your problems.
Examples of stand back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While standing on a stage between French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Jill Biden, the president appeared to squat in midair as if beginning to sit in a chair but then stood back up.
—
Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 June 2024
As Vivian Jones knocked on the door, a crowd of about 25 people stood back and waited.
—Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Starshot’s management policy seems to be a balance between NASA’s hierarchical decision-tree rigor and the Silicon Valley culture of putting a bunch of smart people in a room, giving them a long-term goal and standing back.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2016
At one point, McCarthy stood back, surveyed the scene in awe and said he’s known no one in his career who is as good off the field as Prescott.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2024
As Meghan smiled and started to enter the room with Charles, the future king appeared to tell her and Harry to stand back so that the queen could enter first, followed by him and his wife, Camilla, and then by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
But then, shrugging the sounds off as fireworks, everyone stood back up.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
Driving through your left heel, stand back up to the starting position.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 18 Jan. 2024
Men stood back and didn’t know how to deal with me, so in a way, my queerness protected me.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024
Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 June 2024
As Vivian Jones knocked on the door, a crowd of about 25 people stood back and waited.
—Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Starshot’s management policy seems to be a balance between NASA’s hierarchical decision-tree rigor and the Silicon Valley culture of putting a bunch of smart people in a room, giving them a long-term goal and standing back.
—Ann Finkbeiner, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2016
At one point, McCarthy stood back, surveyed the scene in awe and said he’s known no one in his career who is as good off the field as Prescott.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2024
As Meghan smiled and started to enter the room with Charles, the future king appeared to tell her and Harry to stand back so that the queen could enter first, followed by him and his wife, Camilla, and then by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
But then, shrugging the sounds off as fireworks, everyone stood back up.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
Driving through your left heel, stand back up to the starting position.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 18 Jan. 2024
Men stood back and didn’t know how to deal with me, so in a way, my queerness protected me.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stand back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stand back
Cite this Entry
“Stand back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20back. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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