Definition of stand-down in US English:



  • A period of relaxation after a state of alert.

    count noun ‘news of the stand-down had not reached Mogadishu’
    mass noun ‘during stand-down officers turn a blind eye’
    • ‘The days in between were either stand-downs for resupply or aborted assaults due to the inability of supporting ground units to get into position.’
    • ‘He says another crucial task of the mediators will be to broker a stand-down while ensuring the volatile situation does not crumble.’
    • ‘When soldiers were at stand-down, food was easier to acquire and both British and German troops could expect certain food to be available with a degree of frequency.’
    • ‘Turbulent was met by a US Navy depot ship on her arrival and was escorted into the port with the assistance of an American pilot at the start of a standard operational stand-down.’
    • ‘A serious probe would demonstrate that the government was, at the very least, guilty of criminal negligence, and, more likely, a deliberate stand-down of intelligence and security agencies.’



/stænd daʊn/