stand-down

1 of 2

noun

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See All Example Sentences for stand-down

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1651, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stand-down was in 1651

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Stand-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-down. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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