stand down
Third Person
stands down
Present Participle
standing down
Past Tense
stood down
Past Participle
stood down
1
to willingly step back from a position or authority, and allow someone else to take over
- The leader decided to stand down from their role to allow new ideas and leadership to emerge.
- Faced with criticism, the politician gracefully opted to stand down from their position to avoid further controversy.
- Recognizing burnout, the volunteer coordinator decided to stand down and let someone else take over the organizing responsibilities.
- In the spirit of teamwork, the project manager decided to stand down and let the team collaborate on the decision-making process.
- Realizing the need for change, the business owner decided to stand down and hand over day-to-day operations to a new manager.
2
to relax or withdraw from a state of readiness or alertness
- The troops were ordered to stand down after the negotiations were successful.
- The security team stood down once the threat was confirmed to be a false alarm.
- After the tense meeting, she needed some time to stand down and unwind.
- The firefighters stood down once the blaze was under control and no longer a threat.
- The guard dog stood down when its owner gave a calming command.