stand down
See also: stand-down and standdown
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Verb
stand down (third-person singular simple present stands down, present participle standing down, simple past and past participle stood down)
- (idiomatic) To wait; to stop pursuing or fighting.
- They ordered the troops to stand down for the moment.
- (transitive, intransitive) To withdraw or retire from a position or from a team.