: 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
Luis Martinez, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
The unraveling of the Cold War stand-down was set in motion in 2001 when President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; the very next day Russia responded by withdrawing from the START II treaty.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2024
Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Between the lines: Paxton is preparing to stand down if his focus during Trump's first term is any indication.
—Megan Stringer, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stand-down 
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Noun
There had previously been a stand-down of Army aviation that followed the March 2023 collision of two Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Campbell that killed nine soldiers.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
The unraveling of the Cold War stand-down was set in motion in 2001 when President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; the very next day Russia responded by withdrawing from the START II treaty.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2024
Verb
That was a week later than originally planned; Blue Origin stood down from a Jan. 28 attempt due to uncooperative weather and an issue with the rocket's avionics.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Between the lines: Paxton is preparing to stand down if his focus during Trump's first term is any indication.
—Megan Stringer, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stand-down
Dictionary Entries Near stand-down
Cite this Entry
“Stand-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand-down. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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