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

Police union calls Chicago ICE stand-down ‘a violation of the officer’s oath’ 3. —FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025

Along with honoring the two workers — killed within 24 hours of one another in Twin Cities construction zones — the first-ever statewide safety stand-down day included discussions and sharing of experiences to help workers improve safety. —Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025

Verb

However, Fox News previously obtained what appears to be a dispatch log indicating the chief of patrol did appear to order officers to stand down. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025

At least one other possible Markey 2026 Democratic Senate primary rival stood down from challenging him. —David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025

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