: a relaxation of status of a military unit or force from an alert or operational posture
stood down; standing down; stands down
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
: 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
Anthony BaileyExamples of stand-down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for stand-down
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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
Alan Shearer and Dennis Bergkamp, two of the most prominent Premier League forwards of the time, stood down from international duty after that tournament.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for stand-down
Cite this Entry
“Stand-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-down. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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