stand back

phrasal verb

stood back; standing back; stands back

: to take a few steps backwards

The paramedics told the crowd to stand back.

: 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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

In a third photo, the mom of three stood back so the camera could capture her head-to-toe transformation. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 The two candidates likely have different reasons for standing back, said Koning. —

Chloe Berger, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024 And that was where Lee really stood apart from other photographers, male photographers, who were often standing outside looking in or standing back and observing or photographing the soldiers and the gunfire. —

Tomris Laffly, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024 Put it in place, connect cables to the ports on the side facing the screen, and then focus while standing back far enough to see the entire screen. —

PCMAG, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stand back