: 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
Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Zelenskyy — a former television comedy actor — has in response offered to stand down if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO and a peace accord drawn up.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Feb. 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
Schumacher — who took the reins in July 2023 and was tasked with leading the overhaul of the consumer goods giant — will stand down as CEO and board director in March and will leave the company on May 31.
—Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Zelenskyy — a former television comedy actor — has in response offered to stand down if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO and a peace accord drawn up.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2025.
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